Let's play pretend!
by pikinanouart
Summary: Levy and Gazille pretend to be a couple to get Mirajane off their backs! But pretending to be in love isn't an easy thing... especially the pretending part GaLe rated T *Final chapter up Bonus chapter up!*
1. Shake off the devil

**Author's notes:** Yay, more GaLe! hope you will like it, only warning: slighty not canon since this story implies that Levy doesn't have a crush on Gazille... not yet :P

also Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail owns me :3

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><p><strong>Let's play pretend<strong>

#1 shake off the devil

There was a lot of action going on in the Fairy Tail guild, that day. Everywhere, guild members were moving left and right, busy with the preparations of a big event: after seven years, they were finally moving back to their previous location.

Even if everyone was quite excited about the change, they knew that it wouldn't be a walk in the park. After all those years of negligence, the main building was in a bad shape and the fairies would need to put a lot of effort to bring it back to its previous state. For this occasion, everyone had been required to be present, except those already on a job. The master, along with Erza and Mirajane, was in charge of planning and supervising while the rest of the mages were working in pair or in group to perform the tasks.

It was without much surprise that Levy had been assigned to something book-related and it was the reason she was currently in the data room, surrounded by boxes filled with books and records of the guild members achievements. The room was covered with a thick layer of dust and so were the several bookcases aligned on the walls and on the mezzanine. Per chance, most of them were still in good condition and, beside some spider webs, the book lover expected no problems with her first task that was to clean the whole place.

The bluenette had fetched a bucket of soapy water and a sponge from the kitchen and was ready to begin. Her hair was tied in a bun and kept under a large headscarf to keep them clean while she had removed her sweatshirt to be more at ease, wearing a dark gray t-shirt, black capris and ballet flat shoes. Grabbing the bucket in one hand and the small ladder to access the mezzanine with her other, Levy began her ascension in a slow pace, afraid to spill water everywhere. She was so focused on keeping her balance that she was slightly startled when a voice called out to her:

" You're bound to fall on your ass if you keep going like that. "

Quickly turning the head to her right, the small woman noticed a certain black-haired, piercing-faced man standing near the entrance of the data room. His arms were holding two huge boxes that were probably containing more books. He didn't seem to mind the weight since he was standing nonchalantly, his eyes fixed on her with one studded eyebrow raised in amusement. He was probably imagining her falling with the bucket of water splashing all over her, that would explain the small smirk on his lips.

" Hello, Gazille, " Levy offered him a smile before pursuing her ascension. A few steps later, her eyes darted back to him as he placed the new boxes over the ones who were already there, at the furthest corner of the room, near the huge window. She hadn't been told that someone would work with her, not that she had any objections to that, however, she thought it was suspicious that the one sent to help her was none other than Gazille. After all, someone strong like him would be probably more useful doing physical labor than classifying dusty records.

And the book lover already had her theory about this strange arrangement.

" Let me guess... " she asked him. " Mirajane sent you? "

" Yep. "

Just as she suspected. She raised an eyebrow.

" And I guess no one else has been scheduled to work with us, right? "

The dragonslayer paused to give her a pointed look:

" I don't think so. " His face was reflecting the exact same feeling she was having at their situation. Seemed like he also didn't believe that the fact they had been paired up was just a coincidence.

In fact, nothing was really a coincidence when Mirajane was involved.

Levy shook her head with a sigh as she reached the mezzanine, placed her bucket near the first bookcase and started cleaning, climbing on the wooden shelves to reach the top. For the few minutes she was by herself, since Gazille had gone out again, probably to get more boxes, the bluenette allowed herself an uncharacteristic frown. The white-haired maiden was a very nice woman and a good friend, Levy knew that she could ask her anything and she would get the moon for her if needed. However, she was also an helpless romantic and her not-so-secret hobby was to try to match people together, _to spread the love_, as she would say. And, for the last couple of weeks, or maybe even before that, the solid script mage was convinced that Mirajane had chosen her as her new _victim_.

Levy wasn't really surprised to have been targeted by the barmaid, pretty much everyone in the guild had been at least once in their life. However, what surprised her was that Mirajane wanted to match her with the iron dragonslayer.

Gazille Redfox. Mister _I-eat-swords-for-my-breakfast_ himself.

The blue-haired fairy honestly couldn't understand why her friend thought they were made for each others: they were so not alike. He was tall, she was short. He looked gruff and violent, she looked cute and innocent. He was strong, she was not. And it wasn't just about their physical appearances, their personalities were even more opposites. Same thing with their tastes: she never saw him open a book and she would never enjoy picking fights with everybody.

Nah, really, she couldn't see it... Not that she disliked Gazille, in spite of what people thought. Ever since Fantasia, she had started to see him as a nakama and she really could say that she had forgiven his actions from his Phantom Lord days. She was also really grateful that he had been her partner for the S-class exam, if Jet or Droy had been there instead of him, she would probably be dead, today.

But still, a guy like him with a girl like her? Not likely. That would be what they called in literature a crack pairing.

Maybe Mirajane had a weird conception of romanticism. Or maybe she had picked his name from a freelance draw.

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><p>She noticed that the man in question was back when she heard the sound of a metal bucket placed on the floor and something being submerged in water. He was cleaning the bookcases on the main floor of the room and, judging by the boredom showing on his face, it was obvious he would rather be anywhere else than here.<p>

" You don't have to help me, you know, " she said with compassion. " I could manage by myself. "

She heard him snort:

" You and I know very well that she'll send me back here. "

As she suspected, he knew about Mirajane's plans. And he knew that she knew about them too.

" I see you figured it out. "

" I would need to be blind, deaf and dumb to not see it. "

Levy had a little smirk at that. A short moment passed when they kept working until his voice echoed in the little room:

" How long is she gonna joke around with us? It's been going on for almost two months. "

She looked back at him as she finished cleaning her last bookcase, picking up her bucket to join him downstairs:

" Oh, Mirajane can be quite persistent about those things, you know. But I guess that she must be growing impatient, lately, since she's not even being subtle anymore. Maybe she'll give up soon. "

Gazille groaned: he didn't seem to believe that the white-haired woman would stop her little game anytime soon. The small fairy honestly didn't believe it, neither. For Mirajane to give up, they would need something akin to a miracle.

When she got back on the main floor, he had cleaned the three bookcases on the opposite wall and was getting started on the ones under the mezzanine. She decided to go get fresh soapy water since hers was a disgusting shade of gray but he stopped her.

" Gimme that, Shrimp, I need to change mine, anyway. "

Levy was about to say that she didn't mind doing it herself but a white-haired mage appeared in the door frame and called out to them. It was Lisanna who was walking toward them with a tray full of food and two water bottles.

Taking advantage of her distraction, the dragonslayer grabbed her bucket and walked out in a swift pace, leaving the two women to look at his retreating back. Lisanna shrugged and gave a brilliant smile at the solid script mage:

" How is it going? You guys have been working for a while, I brought you lunch. "

" Thank you very much, Lisanna. "

Using a towel brought by the take-over mage, they wiped clean the little table at the center of the room and cleaned the little stools as well. Levy started eating her sandwiches and chatted with Lisanna about what the others were doing:

" Jet, Droy, Lucky and Mickey are rebuilding the stage and the stairs to the second floor. Lucy, Juvia, Natsu and Gray were cleaning the pool but Gray and Natsu started fighting and Erza intervened. "

" Did they survive? "

" They're cleaning the toilets with Elf-nii-san, now. "

Both women shared a laugh.

" But what about you, Levy, " Lisanna asked more seriously, " is everything alright with Gazille? He didn't look very... pleasant. "

Levy shook her head as she drank from her bottle.

" Nah, it's nothing. He's annoyed at something that we both don't have much control over. And it's not something he can arrange with his fists. Well, at least, it wouldn't be a good idea if he tried. "

" What's the problem? " the white-haired mage asked with a concerned frown.

" Your sister, that's what, " Gazille said as he appeared beside the girls, back from his little trip. He flopped on the stool at the end of the table and started eating his meal. His voice had been gruff but his face showed more annoyance and resignation than anger toward the barmaid.

" By the way, " he added, " you could tell her to knock off her little game? "

Lisanna gave Levy a confused look that made the small woman explain:

" You see, Lisanna, we _know_ what Mirajane is trying to do with us. "

The take-over mage glanced at the dragonslayer, who wolfed down a sandwich in one bite, and looked back at the bluenette:

" What do you mean? "

Levy sighed:

" She's trying to match us. "

Lisanna blinked, her face went still for a few seconds then it literally melted in understanding as she laughed in relief:

" Oh, wow, guys, you scared me for a minute, there. I was expecting something serious. "

Gazille growled.

" _Tch_, whatcha laughing at? This is serious, dammit. "

The young woman shook her head, her face showing that she was finding the situation quite funny:

" I'm sorry for laughing. But are you guys sure about that? That Mira-nee is trying to get you together? "

The bluenette and the dragonslayer both scoffed then Levy rolled her eyes:

" Is it really that hard to believe? She has been purposely pairing us together for the past months. "

" Sending us on the same jobs _by mistake_, making me bring back her forgotten book... " Gazille enumerated with a scowl, making quotation marks in the air.

" Just this week, those _coincidences _happened twice, " the small fairy added. " Three, with today's assignment. "

" Do you also count when we got _accidentally_ locked up in the storage room, two days ago? "

" Oh, I guess that makes it the fourth time, then, " Levy said in a pensive manner. " Don't even get me started on how she often query about my interest into a certain somebody... "

Lisanna brought her hands in front of her, her face sporting an apologetic smile:

" Alright, alright, I get it. But, you know, it's just the way Mira-nee is. She doesn't mean any harm. "

" It doesn't change the fact that we don't like it, " the black-haired man said through gritted teeth, crossing his arms. " So, that's why you should tell her to leave me out of that shit. "

The small fairy raised her hand:

" Same for me. "

The take-over mage sighed:

" It's not that I don't want to help you, guys, but Mira-nee won't stop because I tell her to. She's very persistent about those things, she could keep trying for a while. Even years. "

" YEARS? " Levy and Gazille cried out with wide eyes, both stunned by the idea of dealing with this dilemma for that long. Lisanna simply nodded.

" No-way-in-Hell I'm gonna put up with this for years! "

The bluenette was literally pleading with her white-haired friend:

" There's got to be something we can do, right? "

Lisanna looked genuinely sorry for them:

" I'm afraid that the only way to stop her... would be to give her what she wants. "

Levy let her head drop on the table in defeat while Gazille jumped on his feet and stormed to the bookcases he was supposed to clean, cursing like a sailor about the barmaid. The take-over mage got up slowly and offered an apology to the solid script mage:

" I'm sorry I can't help you, guys. Good luck, anyway. "

The blue-haired woman lifted her head to peek at her friend:

" It's okay, " she smiled weakly. " We'll manage, somehow... "

With one last compassionate smile, Lisanna picked up the plates, took the tray and left the two mages to their job. Levy almost had to kick herself down her stool to get on her feet, so much she felt drained. Unlike the iron dragonslayer who was quite agitated: he was wiping the shelves with a fierce vigor fueled by his frustration.

Not wishing to be victim of an accidental punch from her partner, the bluenette decided to start unpacking the boxes and sorting the records in alphabetical order. She used her previous sponge to clean a wide area on the floor where she would lay out the books in piles. She took a mental note to keep one bookcase exclusively for Erza's records as she knew that she would need it.

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><p>A couple of hours had passed since their lunch and Gazille had joined her on the floor, a long time ago. Sitting cross-legged, he was piling up Erza's records, which were indeed quite numerous, in chronological order while Levy was taking care of sorting the records from the other boxes in their rightful pile. Apparently, the person who had packed them hadn't really cared about putting them in order and that was adding to her task.<p>

However, in spite of the arduous job they had to do, the small fairy couldn't really give it her full attention. Lisanna's words were still echoing in her head in a loop. She refused to admit that there was no solution to their problem, she was sure that something could be done to shake Mirajane off their backs. But, no matter how hard she thought about it, no good ideas came to her mind.

It looked like they would have to put up with Mirajane's little game for who knew how long... Or to surrender.

Wait a minute.

" That's it! "

Gazille gave a start at Levy's sudden shout that broke the silence between them. He was obviously confused by the huge smile on her face and her eyes shining in realization:

" What the hell, Shrimp? "

She gave him a smug smile:

" I know how to deal with Mirajane. "

" Really? " He lifted an eyebrow in interest as she scooted slightly closer, talking in a low voice:

" Lisanna said that her sister would leave us alone if we gave her what she wanted. So, that's exactly what we should do. "

The black-haired man frowned, looking unsure:

" You... want us to go out, together? "

He had cringed slightly as he said those words, obviously, the idea of anything romantic between them didn't please him. But the bluenette shook her head, she wasn't done explaining:

" We wouldn't date for real, the idea is to make Mirajane _believe_ that we are dating. "

" We'd be pretending? "

Levy nodded, glad he understood her plan:

" And you really think that's gonna work? "

" If we play it well, I'm sure she would never suspect a thing. It doesn't have to be anything fancy: we _go out,_ for two or three weeks... Then, at the end, we _break up_ and go back to our previous lives. "

" Okay, but when we'd break up, she could just try to match us again. "

" Not if we make it obvious that we aren't compatible. "

Gazille still didn't look very enthusiast:

" We'd have to hold hands? And kiss? "

His piercing eyes made her drop her gaze on her lap, her cheeks growing a furious shade of red that was spreading to her neck.

" Y-yeah, I guess we would have to... Only to show her that we're really a couple, that's it. "

The man hummed, propped his head in his hand and looked at a random point at his left, seemingly thinking it over. A moment passed where they both stayed silent, their job almost forgotten. He eventually replied:

" Our only other choice is to wait for her to stop it herself... Which could take years... "

Levy had a little smile as she nodded, even if she wasn't sure if he was talking to her or not. She admitted that her plan was quite bold and she honestly had no idea if it would work or not. After all, Mirajane was not stupid, a simple mistake could give them away.

" Alright, Shrimp, I'm in, " his answer surprised her a bit. " But we'll have to set some rules, first. "

She gave him a wary look, not sure to like the sound of that, but still nodded:

" First, " he started, " I ain't your shopping mule. No way I'll carry your stuff, got it? "

The bluenette agreed, yet again surprised, she wasn't expecting something like that being one of his conditions.

" Second, no stupid nicknames- "

" But, you call me names all the time. "

" It ain't the same, " he replied which made her frown and her frown made him smirk. He got serious again. " No stupid lovey-dovey nicknames, got it? Like Sweatheart or Pooh Pooh- "

Levy loudly snorted at the word:

" Pooh Pooh? Oh, my, who would call someone Pooh Pooh? I can't believe it! "

She was laughing out loud, holding her stomach, and the dragonslayer snarled:

" Shut up! I didn't make that up and that's beside the fucking point. No nicknames like that, got it? "

She was too busy giggling to answer anything. That was really one of the funniest thing she had ever heard. Oh, if she had known about such a nickname before, she would have used it against him, as pay back for all the times he called her Shorty. Ah, what a shame.

He was still scowling like the Grinch when she finally calmed down, however, she couldn't fight back the huge smile linking both of her ears.

" Alright, no stupid nicknames but the same goes for me. My name is not Shrimp or Shorty or Bookworm, got it? It's Levy. "

He looked ready to argue but seemed to decide against it and finally nodded. He gave her a half-serious glare:

" Third thing... "

Levy raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue:

" You'll have to feed me all the iron I want, " he pointed at himself, grinning. " At anytime I want. "

" What would be the point of that? "

" Gotta have some kind of compensation for my suffering-to-come, Shorty. "

" And what would be MY compensation? " the young woman crossed her arms over her chest. " I don't see why I would be the only one giving you something. "

Gazille rolled his eyes:

" Tch, fine, what do you want? "

The bluenette placed a pensive finger on her chin, thinking about what she could ask. Money? Not really, that wouldn't be fair since he asked for something she could make with her magic. Then, something made by him? She really couldn't imagine what he could craft for her.

The only option left was something he could do for her.

An angelic smile grew on her lips since she knew that what she was about to ask would freak him out:

" I'll make you iron but, in exchange, you'll have to serve me breakfast, every morning. "

Gazille's eyes grew wide at her request.

" What the fuck, woman? I'm not your fucking slave! "

Levy chuckled:

" Ah, but I'm not your personal cook neither, Gazille. Don't worry, you won't have to do or pay for my breakfast, just to fetch it for me. "

The dragonslayer growled and scowled, obviously holding himself from yelling and cursing out loud but, after a short moment, he finally crossed his arms over his chest and glared at a random bookcase, his face a perfect demonstration of the word _displeased_. Since he wasn't moving or talking, she guessed that it was his way to say yes.

" So? Is that all there is to your rules? " She stretched an hand toward him to seal the deal.

" Yeah, " he growled as he looked back at her, shaking her hand. " Your plan better work, Shrimp. "

" Don't call me Shrimp, " she pointed a finger at him. " Or I'll call you Pooh Pooh. "

" OI! What did I say about nicknames? "

She crossed her arms over her chest:

" You started it. "

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><p><strong>End notes:<strong> Oh, will our favorite duo suceed at fooling the demon? reviews makes rainbows come out of my ears so dont be shy :D


	2. Ain't as easy as we thought

**Author's notes:** oh my, at last, and its a big one! hope you will like it :3 for those of you who want a plan of the guild try this: http:/ ./_cb20100312003221/fairytail/images/2/22/Fairy_Tail_interior. jpg (without spaces of course)

Enjoy and remember, I do not own it.

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><p><strong>Let's play pretend<strong>

# 2 Ain't as easy as we thought...

They had called it a day shortly after agreeing to the plan but not before Gazille promised to not tell Lily. Even tho Levy agreed with the dragonslayer that the exceed wouldn't betray their trust if he knew, they still had to be careful to not arise suspicion and the less people involved meant a higher chance to succeed. And it would be the same for her, the bluenette wouldn't tell the truth to Lucy or her teammates.

The day after, they met in the data room to continue their work of classification. They had done more than half already and most of it were Erza's records. There was a dozen piles just for the scarlet-haired woman and, as expected, they would need a whole bookcase to place them all. Levy was moving around the other members piles, a stack of records cradled in her left arm, as she sorted them in alphabetical order. Several other members had a good amount of records stacked, like the raijinshu and even Gildarts, but Natsu's pile was growing almost as tall as her.

While she did that, Gazille had started placing Titania's records in the bookcase closest to the table since, according to Levy, she was one of the very few people that actually came to consult those data. He had commented that maybe it was useless to have a data room if no one used it but the small fairy had said that Erza thought this room was indispensable. And no one was stupid enough to go against that woman.

There wasn't much conversation going on between them since they had started working but Levy's mind had been quite busy ever since last evening. She had spent a couple of hours, last night, thinking over and over, to see if their plan would be good enough. Which had made her think about one other problem they had to solve:

" We have to come up with a story, " she said out of the blue.

The dragonslayer barely looked over his shoulder to meet her eyes before he went back to his task:

" Why? "

" When the others will know about us, they'll want to know how we came to be a couple. If we make up different stories, it could be suspicious. "

She heard him grunt, which she translated as_ I don't give a damn_. She had the bad impression that he didn't intend to put a lot of effort into the plan and the idea displeased her.

Placing her fists on her hips, she frowned at his indifferent behavior.

" Do you really want to get rid of Mirajane or not? "

Gazille turned around to face her, his face in his usual scowl:

" Listen, Shortstuff, I don't care what stupid story you make up. I don't intend to go babbling about this crap to anyone and if anyone asks me, I'll just tell them to go to hell. That's it."

Levy's frown deepened in front of such rudeness. What exactly was Mirajane thinking of trying to match her with him? He was such an infuriating musclebrain, there was no way she would be able to have any romantic feelings for a guy like him!

" Tch, _fine_. I'll make up something since I'm the only one who seems to want to make this work. And stop calling me names. "

She turned around in a huff and resumed her work in silence, mainly focusing on getting her breathing to a more normal level. Getting angry wasn't something she did often but she hadn't been able to contain the rush of emotion she had felt. The way he was acting, it was like he found her unworthy of his attention. Even if she didn't see him as a potential lover, she was hurt by his attitude toward her: she thought they were nakamas, at least. She wasn't asking to become his best buddy but she hoped he wouldn't act as a stranger, especially in a situation that concerned them both.

A short moment had passed when he spoke in a low voice, the silence in the room allowing her to hear him:

" Listen, Shor-Levy, you're not the only one who want to do this. It's just that I have absolutely no idea how it works. You're the one with experience in that kind of things, here, not me. "

The small woman glanced at her partner, searching his gaze to see if he really meant his words. It was faint, barely noticeable, but she did see a hint of regret. She couldn't really hold his reaction against him, she didn't doubt one bit that he had no experience with relationship, beside his friendship with Lily.

She sighed:

" I'm sorry for what I said. " She let out a faint laugh. " It doesn't look good for us, tho: I don't have any experience, neither. All I know about love is what I've read in books. "

Gazille raised an eyebrow:

" And how does it work in books? "

" Most of the time, the guy asks the girl out. Actually, the guy saves the girl from a life-threatening situation and they just start making out. And save the world at the same time. "

The black-haired man cringed:

" Why is it the guy? That means it would have to be me? "

Levy hummed in affirmative as her partner scoffed.

" Damn... Now what? I save you from a paper cut and we start going out? "

She placed a finger on her chin to think:

" If I was hemophiliac, maybe that would work, but since I'm not, it doesn't make a very exciting story."

Gazille went back filling Erza's bookcase with a sigh:

" Whatever. Let's say I saved you from a life-threatening paper cut. "

The bluenette shook her head with a smile, muttering to herself:

" Are they even gonna buy a story like that? "

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><p>It was lunch time when they dropped their books in relief, their wrists hurting from making the same movements for the past hours. Erza's bookcase was finally done and if it hadn't been for a lack of space, they could have filled half another with her spare records. They only kept the most recent and what they repacked was enough to fill three boxes.<p>

Standing a few feet away from the data room's door frame, both mages were silently eyeing the guild hall where they could see several of their friends flooding in to have their meal. The tables had been repaired and a delicious aroma was filing the building, luring all the fairies to a well-deserved rest. But, even if they were both starving, a strong feeling of dread prevented them to just come out of the room.

They were now a _couple_. And they were about to let the others know.

If they could actually get pass the door frame, of course.

Gazille's stomach growled impatiently and he let out a sigh. His face was sour as if he was about to eat something nasty and Levy was quite nervous even if it was her plan. It had all looked good in theory but now that they were doing the real thing, she was getting cold feet. But they knew that they couldn't delay it forever: not only it had to be done but if they didn't go out soon, there wouldn't be any food left for them.

" W-we have to do this... "

The solid script mage tried to smile with confidence but it looked more like a grimace. She glanced up at the dragonslayer who barely hummed in agreement. Both of them stayed still until, a moment later, the black-haired man asked:

" What are you waiting for? "

" You have to take my hand. "

" Why me? "

" You're the guy, you're supposed to do it. "

He made a frustrated _Tch_ and slapped his hand against hers, holding it crisply. It felt cold and awkward, like strangers forced to hug each others, and adding the expression on their faces, the picture wasn't very romantic.

Gazille let out a breath:

" Alright, let's get this over with. Faster we do it, faster we'll be done. "

" R-right, " the bluenette said even if her whole body language was screaming at her to run away _asap_.

" You better stuff me with iron, later, Shrimp, " the man said as they took their first step toward the guild hall. Levy forced a smile on her face while she said through gritted teeth:

" My name isn't Shrimp, my lovely Pooh Pooh."

A chocking sound escaped from the bottom of the dragonslayer's throat, his red eyes fixing the small fairy with a death glare. But his partner ignored him and kept her eyes straight ahead of them with a sweet smile on her face. Cursing under his breath, he focused on walking to the stairs that would take them to the restaurant area.

With every step they took, Levy's heartbeat would grow louder in her ears. She kept her eyes straight ahead, fixing the long table where food had been laid out, afraid to glance around at her guild mates and see their reactions. But curiosity took over her and she did sneak a peek to her right where she met Juvia's eyes. The rain woman's eyebrows disappeared in her hairline and, at her side, Gray eyed them in obvious amazement. When Levy broke eye contact with them, she heard the buzzing whispers coming from all around them and knew that the rumors had started.

There was no turning back, now.

* * *

><p>The delicious aroma that had invaded the guild had drifted all the way to the interior swimming pool. Since Natsu and Gray had been acting like idiots, the day earlier, Erza had sent them to work with Elfman but the scarlet-haired woman hadn't left the stellar and water mages by themselves and that was why she was scrubbing the bottom of the pool with them.<p>

Lucy and Erza looked at each other and agreed to take a break. They placed their mops against the wall before making their way to the guild hall. It was at that moment that the scarlet-haired woman noticed something:

" Juvia has left already? "

" Seems like it, " Lucy sweat-dropped at the thought that their friend had probably sneaked out to go see Gray.

" Skipping work before time? Unforgivable! After lunch, she shall receive punishment. "

When they walked into the hallway that led to the main room, the blond woman was still trying to convince her friend that Juvia was still too young to die. In front of them, the two of them noticed Cana who was leaning on the wall, right beside the stairs that led to the restaurant area, a bottle of sake in hand and a huge grin on her face.

" Cana, " Erza greeted the card mage, " how are you? "

The brunette flashed her grin at the two women:

" Quite good. Did you guys see that? " She gestured toward the tables with her head. Lucy and Erza approached to see what had taken their friend's interest. People in lines to get food, some others arguing which would probably end up in a brawl: they didn't see anything that looked out of the ordinary.

" We have a new couple, " explained Cana before taking a sip.

" What? Who? " they both asked while searching harder for whoever had a new lover. After a moment, Erza's face grew as red as her hair, apparently, she had just seen the new couple in question:

" T-them? Are they really... Since when are they...?

The alcoholic chuckled at her friend's embarrassed state:

" They came in here holding hands, five minutes ago. And look, he's bringing her food. Ha ha, who would have thought Levy could tame that guy? "

Lucy gave a start when she heard the name of her best friend. Levy had a boyfriend? And she didn't know about it? She scanned the room to find the familiar blue head belonging to the script mage but when she found it, Lucy couldn't hold back the shout of surprise that escaped her mouth. Sitting at a table, the small fairy was beaming at a familiar black-haired dragonslayer who placed a plate in front of her before taking a seat at her side.

" It's a bit bad, tho, " Cana said with humor, " I had bet with Mira that they wouldn't end up together before another year. "

" I can't believe it, " the blond muttered, her eyes wider than saucers. Not that she hadn't expected it, after all, she always had the feeling that the bluenette was attracted to Gazille, even if she always denied it. However, the fact that her best friend had a crush on someone and that she hadn't been told about it, first hand, made her feel slightly dejected. One thing was sure, she would have to get the whole story, later.

* * *

><p>" Aw, come on, don't make that face. "<p>

The dragonslayer gave her a annoyed look that she knew was born from the _humiliation_ of having fetched food for her. To make amends, she summoned the word _**Iron**_ that didn't even have time to dent the table, he caught it in mid-air and started eating it in no time.

Levy could feel her face burning as some of her guild mates' voices reached her ears, voices that were obviously talking about them. Gazille was also hearing them, much better than she did, and even a blind person would have guessed that he didn't appreciate the comments.

" Please, bear with it, Gazille, " the young woman whispered, " it's only until Mirajane sees us. "

The dragonslayer grunted as he chomped the last bite of his treat before propping his head in his hand. Levy ate in silence while thinking that this whole _coming out_ thing wasn't going so bad so far however, when she saw her nakamas coming their way, seemingly all at the same time and with huge grins on their faces, she couldn't help but think that it had been just the tip of the iceberg.

The water mage was the first to pop in front of them, both hands joined over her heart, fat rivers of tears running on her cheeks ( that threatened to flood the room if she didn't stop soon ) and a genuine smile of joy on her usually so collected face:

" Juvia is so happy for Gazille-kun and Levy-san, Juvia had wished for them to be together for so long! "

Before Levy could answer something, Bisca, Evergreen, Lucky, Mickey and Wendy all added their comments, obvious excitement in their eyes:

" I'm glad for you, Levy. "

" My, didn't think _you_ would ever get a boyfriend... "

" Since when are you guys partaking in a mutually infatuated partnership? "

" Who would have thought that our little Levy would fall in love, one day? Not even with a fictional character, on top of that. "

" I'm so happy for you, Levy-san. And for Gazille-san, too. "

The bluenette managed a shy smile, feeling her heart speed up dramatically at all the attention she was getting. Yes, it was true that she should have expected it but, honestly, she hadn't really thought about her friends' reaction to the news, only about Mirajane's. Turning her head to her right, she noticed that Gazille was stuck in a similar situation. The iron dragonslayer was trying to be left alone but there was no way it would happen with Natsu and Gray taunting him and Elfman who was proudly puffing out his chest in approval:

" Of course, he had the balls to ask Levy out, he's a MAN! "

Levy was about to thank her friends for the good wishes while silently hoping she could disappear in a hole but a blur of red appeared in her line of sight and, before she knew it, Erza's face was barely an inch from hers, the knight standing on all-four on the table:

" Levy, your happiness is important for all of us, also, please do not hesitate to ask me for help if Gazille proves himself troublesome, it will be my pleasure to straighten him up for you. "

" Oh, t-thank you, Erza, but I don't think it will be nescessary... " The bluenette waved both hands in dismissal, nervously laughing. She could feel her spine being run by shivers at the simple thought of what Erza could do to Gazille and she seriously didn't wish to ever find out.

It was at this moment that Cana and Lucy came to see her, Cana grinning as she winked at her.

" You gotta give me your trick for taming a guy like that, Levy. "

" Levy-chan, I'm glad for you, " the stellar spirit mage said before hugging her and whispering in her ear, " you'll give me the details, later, right? "

Lucy was looking happy but her smile showed some kind of resentment and Levy felt a twinge of guilt. Lu-chan was her best friend, she supposed that, normally, she would have told her about her _attraction_ for Gazille before everyone else.

" Of course, Lu-chan, I'll tell you tonight, okay? "

Lucy beamed at her answer and the bluenette made a mental note to perfect her story before tonight.

On Gazille's side, a brawl had started and Erza decided to go discipline them for breaking the new tables. All the other girls were still chatting excitedly about the newest couple when Mirajane and Lisanna appeared at the small fairy's side.

The barmaid gave Levy an angelic smile before clasping her hands together:

" Aw, it's such good news, I'm so happy for you, Levy-chan. "

" Thank you, Mirajane, " she answered, trying to hide her nervousness as she smiled back. Lisanna gave her a curious look:

" It sure was surprising hearing that you two are a couple. Congratulations. "

The solid script mage forced a grateful smile on her lips as she exchanged a look with the youngest Strauss. It looked like Lisanna was scrutinizing her and she had a very good idea why. They had told her, the very day before, that they weren't in love with each other and today, they were a couple. Levy was certain that her friend knew that they were faking it. However, the real problem was: was Lisanna going to keep it for herself or would she tell Mirajane? Was she going to destroy her plan less than twenty-four hours before it even started?

Whatever the answer was, Lisanna didn't let anything show, she simply smiled before offering to help her sister with reorganizing the bar, an offer that Mirajane gladly accepted.

When the sisters left, Levy let out a sigh of relief. She would probably have to talk with Lisanna eventually, but for now, it looked like their secret was safe.

Not too far from her, the brawl had seemingly stopped and Natsu was currently trying to convince Lucy to talk to Erza so Gray and him could go work with her again. Juvia was standing close to Gray with a dreamy look, probably imagining herself with the ice mage when he would finally ask her out, but her daydreaming session quickly came to a halt when Erza appeared beside her, far from looking happy. The other girls were gone eating and that meant that maybe Levy could sneak back to the data room to give her racing heart a chance to slow down.

Unfortunately, there was still someone who hadn't spoken to her about her new _romance_ with Gazille. In fact, there was two of them, two young men who were now standing in front of her, both of them looking like they had seen an UFO flying in the guild hall.

" Levy-chan, is it true? "

The bluenette met Jet's gaze then Droy's, both of them almost pleading:

" Please, Levy, tell us that it's just a joke. "

She gave them an apologetic smile, feeling guilty of making them believe that she was dating the iron dragonslayer. She had expected such a reaction from her teammates, it was a secret for nobody that they didn't like Gazille.

" I won't tell you to dump him, " Jet said with a bitter smile, " but, honestly, you could easily find someone better. "

" Someone like you? " Gazille's voice came from behind the bluenette, startling her. The black-haired man came to stand at Levy's side, his arms crossed over his chest and his face showing an arrogant smirk. Jet and Droy were both glaring at him:

" Assholes like you don't deserve girls like Levy, that's what I'm saying, "

The solid script mage quickly anticipated what could happen if she didn't stop them:

" Guys, please. "

" Is that so? Who are you to say that? Her mom? "

" Gazille, " Levy was standing in between, using her hands to prevent them from jumping at each other's throat.

" We're her friends, friends who would never purposely hurt her, unlike a certain somebody. "

" Come on, stop that. "

" _Tch_, she's willing, it's not like I forced her into this. "

" That wouldn't be surprising, coming from you. "

" What was that, you little bastard? "

" You heard me, you son of a bi-. "

" Stop it, stop it, stop it! " The bluenette pushed both men away from each other, her voice bringing their argument to a stop. She looked back and forth between her teammates and her supposed-to-be boyfriend, her face showing the pain their argument was giving her. Even if it wasn't for real, on Gazille's part, seeing him and her friends fighting was tearing her heart.

The iron dragonslayer gave a defiant look at the Shadow Gears guys then looked down at her, his face wearing his usual scowl, then he made a _Tch_ before turning on his heels and leaving.

" Whatever. "

The small fairy let her arms drop at her sides, her eyes downcast to not see her teammates looking at her.

" Listen, guys... I'll talk to you later, okay? "

She gave them another apologetic smile, something she felt she was doing a lot, lately, before making her way to the data room.

* * *

><p>When Levy came back, Gazille was standing on the mezzanine and filling the bookcases with the records he had brought with him. While the bluenette felt awful about what had happened with her friends, he was just standing there and doing his things, seemingly not having a care in the world. That sight was making her blood boil, how could he move on like that right after being such a jerk? Frustration took over her and she decided to give him a piece of her mind:<p>

" Must you always pick up fights? " she asked him while pacing near the table, fixing him with a fierce glare.

He didn't even turn from his work:

" Your fanboys started it, I just answered in kind. "

" But it wasn't necessary. You could have just let it go and everything would have been fine. "

The dragonslayer turned around to face her, his face showing the same arrogance he had displayed to her teammates:

" I never back down from a fight, Shorty, you should know that, already. "

" Don't call me Shorty, " Levy stomped her feet, " or I'll make you regret it! "

He raised an eyebrow, his grin growing even bigger in front of her anger:

" Really? And what could you possibly do to make me regret it, _Shorty_? "

The bluenette growled at his taunt, he was obviously mocking her and enjoying every seconds of it. Stupid Sadist! She thought about telling him something nasty, with the kind of words he often used, but she thought about a even more horrible way to make him pay.

Her glare morphed into a look of pure adoration as the sweetest smile she could produce appeared on her lips. Battling her eyelashes like a shojo manga heroine, she clasped both hands against her cheek and started cooing in a sickeningly sugary voice:

" I'll go back in the guild hall, in front of all of our nakamas, and tell them that you're just the sweetest _Baby Bear_, the dearest _Snuggle Bunny_, the loveliest _Pooh Pooh_ there is in the whole world! "

To say that Gazille wasn't expecting that was an understatement: the man was frozen in shock, looking at her with wide eyes and a face turning white, obviously scarred shitless about the prospect of her actually doing something like this. Levy felt pretty smug to have provoked such a reaction from the big bad iron dragonslayer and allowed herself a smirk.

" You little... You would never dare! " he growled, both hands gripping the hand-rail that cracked slightly under the pressure.

Levy raised an eyebrow in defiance, a gesture that he could very well interpret as _Want to bet on that?_ She had a mental laugh at the image of her actually doing it, imagining how all the others would react and mock the iron dragonslayer. Heh, it would be priceless!

However, looking at the man in front of her who was seemingly about to have a stroke made the small fairy give up on any evil plans of hers. Yes, he would deserve it but it would only make him even more aggressive toward her afterwards and she really needed his full cooperation if she wanted her plan to succeed.

Anyway, she knew how to scare him, now. She could always use this ruse again if he became too arrogant with her.

" Let's go back to the main point, " she finally replied in a calm voice, as if nothing had happened, " don't go provoking Jet and Droy. They already dislike you enough like this and I don't want to have to _choose_ between you and them. Beside, if we were really dating, I wouldn't accept that you pick on my friends. "

The dragonslayer visibly relaxed but his face was still showing animosity:

" _Tch_, fine, I'll leave your Boy Toys alone, as long as they don't come looking for a fight. 'Cause if they do, I won't hold back. "

She watched him turn back to his work and she let out a sigh. She could feel stress knots in her neck and a slight headache growing between her ears. She had the feeling that the next two weeks would be more difficult to cope with that she had expected.

* * *

><p>Another couple of hours passed and the remaining workload greatly decreased. If they kept working the same pace, they would be done before night time. Both of them were currently sitting under the mezzanine, in front of the next to last bookcase that they were stuffing with the Strauss siblings records. Not another word of their previous argument had been said ever since and their mood had greatly improved.<p>

" Ugh, I swear that, when this job's done, I'll never touch a book again. "

The bluenette snorted which prompted him to add:

" I suppose that won't stop you from stuffing your nose in one of your bricks, right? "

" Indeed, I can't wait to be done so I can go back to reading my _books_, " she chuckled at the grimace he made. She was about to add something else when she noticed his body growing stiff and his eyes darting to the data room's door.

" What is it? " She followed his glare but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

" We're not alone. "

Levy barely had time to mutter a _Huh?_ when a pink and white ball of fur jumped on her lap and startled her. Holding herself with both hands to not fall on her back, the small fairy's eyes landed on an animal that sat in front of them: a feline creature with a pink coat and white patches that looked at them with big blue eyes. By its color, Levy suspected the cat to not be _natural_ but she was still slightly surprised when it spoke with a voice she knew well:

" I'm glad to see that your lover's quarrel is over. "

" Lisanna? "

The mage smiled and winked:

" Not too loud, please. I don't want people knowing I'm here. "

Gazille gave the _cat_ a suspicious look:

" What are you doin' here? "

Levy already had her doubts about what their friend would say, it would probably confirm what she had thought previously. She still scooted closer to her _boyfriend_ if, by any chances, the youngest Strauss hadn't figured out the truth.

" I take it that _this_ is what you guys came up with? " Lisanna said in a low voice. " To fool my sister? "

As Levy suspected, she knew about the plan. The solid script mage wondered if they should admit it or play dumb but before she could make up her mind, the dragonslayer asked:

" What if it was the case? You intend on telling on us? "

Lisanna shook her head:

" No, not at all. I think it's a great idea. "

The bluenette let out a relieved sigh as Lisanna pursued:

" You two is what everyone is talking about, you know. Cana even lost a bet against Mira-nee. "

Gazille and Levy exchanged a look:

" Your sister, " Levy started, " she believes that we are lovers, right? "

The take-over mage stretched like a cat before answering:

" Yes and no. "

" What the hell, yes and no? " The man frowned.

" She's having doubts? "

" This is mainly why I came to see you, " Lisanna replied in a low voice, " Mira-nee was excited about you two becoming a couple, that was obvious, but while I was alone with her, earlier, she told me that there was a little something strange about it. You guys were, in her own words: _seemingly distant and cold_. And she wasn't wrong. "

The black-haired man scoffed as he resumed working while the small fairy made a dejected grimace:

" She didn't buy it... We failed... "

" No, Levy, I don't think you guys failed. I'm just saying that if you want to erase her doubts before it's too late, you'll have to start acting like real lovers. "

" What is that supposed to mean? " Gazille said without stopping his work. " We held hands, we ate together, what more does she want? "

Lisanna shook her head:

" Sorry to tell you this but it was obvious that the two of you didn't like holding hands, earlier. You were barely touching as if you were afraid to be poisoned. There was no eye contact between you and when you sat together, the distance was too great. Acting like real lovers implies that you guys become much more comfortable around each other. And more affectionate as well. "

The bluenette bit her lower lip as she pondered on those words. She hadn't thought that they had been this _bad_. Clumsy and awkward, maybe, but not cold. It was seemingly harder to pretend to be in love with someone that it looked. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea, after all.

" What do you suggest? "

Levy gave a surprised look at Gazille when she heard the question leave his lips. With his head propped in his hand, he seemed strangely serious, if not determined, as he fixed the pink cat.

The take-over mage smiled:

" For starter, you two should spend a whole day together to practice being a couple. And you should go on, at least, one date before the end of the week. As well as keep holding hands, hanging out and eating together. "

" Hm, guess we can't help it, " the dragonslayer rubbed his chin in a pensive manner but his face showed that he didn't have much objection to it.

" Gazille... " Levy looked at him with worry, " Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, maybe it's not even worth it... "

His gaze switched to her and when he gave her one of his famous _gazille-ish_ grin, the bluenette felt her heart skip a beat.

" I told you, Shorty: I never back down from a fight. There's no reason to give up before it even started, especially not with that plan of yours. If that's what it takes to take down that damn barmaid then I'll do it. "

Levy smiled back at her partner in crime, feeling confidence coming back to her. He could be quite a insensitive jerk, sometimes, but she had to admit, he was also good at cheering her up. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, after all.

" Hey! Watch what you say about my sister, you big Tin Head! " Lisanna clawed at the dragonslayer's hand in anger, making the man hiss:

" Argh, don't scratch me, you damn catgirl! "

" Lead Brain! "

" Fleabag! "

" Please, guys, let's not fight here, I don't feel like having to do the job all over again... "

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> thx again for the faves and reviews :3 they melt my heart ^.^


	3. Lovers Boot Camp

**Author's notes:** the numbers of Gazille's piercings are based on his manga appareance, in the anime, he has two more on his nose bridge but four less on his ears. Just so you know :3

I still don't own it. I swear.

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 3 Lovers Boot Camp**

_She was standing on the mezzanine as she placed records on the shelves, a small contented smile on her lips. Every now and then, her eyes would dart to her right where, one floor lower, stood the man she was secretly attracted to. Just thinking about how much she wished to be closer to him made her blush but she would never dare say her feelings out loud._

_Distracted by his handsomeness, she was careless and one finger slipped against a page of the book she was holding, the thin piece of paper cutting through her fragile skin like a razor. Startled by the pain, she yelped and backed against the hand-rail where she unfortunately lost footing and toppled over. She closed her eyes as she fell, gasping in anticipation of the pain she would soon feel, however, her small body never made contact with the hard floor: she felt herself caught in mid-air just before meeting her doom. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her one true love's garnet-colored eyes gazing at her with worry and she realized that he had been the one to save her life. Holding her like a bride, his strong arms kept her close to his well-toned body as his suave voice asked her if she was alright:_

_" Y-yes, " she answered while she felt her cheeks redden in an alarming pace, " I simply cut myself with a book. "_

_She showed him her injury. Slowly lowering her back on her feet, he held her injured hand close to his lips while his other hand found its way to the small of her back. He inspected her index, or more precisely the single drop of blood on its extremity, with such gentleness that she felt her heart race at the simple thought that he was actually doing such a thing for her. However, the rush of emotion she was experiencing was nothing compared to what she felt when he brought his mouth closer to her finger and his tongue licked the blood, sending a wave of fire and ice all over her limbs that almost made her faint. _

_His eyes met hers again but, this time, there was another emotion laying in them, an emotion that she could only hope was called affection._

_" If something were to happen to you, I don't know how I would keep on living... So, stay by my side and you'll never get hurt again. "_

_His words touched her heart so deeply that she couldn't hold back the tears that escaped from her eyes. Standing on her toes, she grabbed the front of his shirt as he pulled her closer, their mouths about to-_

" WHAT THE FUCK? "

Levy instinctively closed her eyes when the loud voice cut through her storytelling and created a strong gust of wind that made her hair fly around her face. A cheerful laugh also echoed from behind her.

" Please, Gazille, " she said in a quiet voice as she wiped her cheeks clean from the few spray of spit that had showered her, " don't scream while I'm barely two feet away from you. My ears are ringing..."

" And if you're too noisy, the others will know that we're here, " added Lisanna with humor, her hands on her hips. " Now, how about you guys resume your starring, hm? "

The dragonslayer gritted his teeth while scowling and growling at the small woman in front of him. In spite of what it looked like, Levy knew that he wasn't mad at her but at the little story she had been telling him just before he interrupted her. It was obvious that he didn't appreciated it much even if it was supposed to be _their _story.

The small fairy resumed gazing at her _boyfriend_ but it was proving to be quite challenging: he looked so pissed that she was having a hard time fighting the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. She seriously tried to keep it down, tho: even if she thought that his reaction was funny, just as she had imagined it would be, she didn't want to make him mad at her for real.

The three mages were currently hiding in one of the guild's spare rooms, on the second floor, who was used as a storage: various boxes, pieces of furniture and items were scattered in every corners around them. Since it wasn't frequently used, the group had chosen it as their place for training the new _couple'_s compatibility, far from their friends preying ears and eyes.

The previous day, the day they became a _couple_, the bitter reality had hit them when they had learned that they hadn't been perfectly convincing to their guild mates eyes. Of course, no one really noticed that they were faking it but, as Lisanna said, if they wanted Mirajane to keep believing without a doubt that they were dating, they had to correct their mistakes as soon as possible and start acting like real lovers. Which was why they were in this _Lovers Boot Camp_ ( copyrights to Lisanna ), sitting in this dusty room, starring at each others and following the take-over mage's commands to the letter.

" I still can't believe that you went and told Bunnygirl something so _girly_, " Gazille eventually said with obvious disgust. He would probably make the same face if he was told that a new law was forcing all men to wear make-up. Levy shrugged without losing her smile:

" Well, that was the best I could come up with _life-threatening paper cut_ as a starting point, you know. Which was, may I remind you, your idea. "

" Still, it's no reason to make me sound like a fucking wuss, I've got a reputation to maintain, dammit. If she goes babbling that crap to Salamander... "

" I'm pretty sure Lu-chan will not go _babble_ to anyone, " the bluenette said, her expression making it clear that she wouldn't listen to any comments stating otherwise. The man rolled his eyes at that.

Silence fell between them for a minute where they simply looked at each others in the eyes, just like the white-haired mage had instructed them to. Levy couldn't really see the point of this exercise, was she supposed to see something particular in the red irises of the dragonslayer? One thing was certain, she now knew exactly how many studs there was in his face. And that the exact length and location of the scars on his right forearm, as well. But she still didn't understand for what reason they had been starring at each others for the past ten minutes. Gazille seemed to have the same kind of questioning than her:

" How long are we supposed to keep doing this? Whatever it's supposed to be... "

Lisanna, who was sitting nearby and reading the Sorcerer Magazine, lifted her eyes to give both of them a satisfied look.

" Let's see. Both of you, close your eyes. "

The dragonslayer and the solid script mage both gave a wary look to the take-over mage but the young woman waved an hand at them, prompting them to obey. And they did.

" Good, " they heard her say, the sound of her flip-flops indicating that she had begun pacing around them, " now, Gazille: what color are Levy's eyes? "

" What? The fuck is that question- "

" Just answer. "

The man sighed:

" Brown. "

" Levy? "

" Red, " she answered, figuring that was what she was supposed to say. Since Lisanna didn't reply anything, it probably meant she was right.

" Alright... Levy, where is situated Gazille's guild mark? "

The bluenette hesitated:

" Um, his right... no, his left arm. "

" Gazille? Her mark? "

She heard him mutter a few words, including a curse, about where her mark could be. Without opening her eyes, she waited for him to answer something but after a few seconds, she tried to tip him off:

" Left shoulder blade, " she whispered in a very low voice, barely moving her lips.

" Left shoulder blade, " the dragonslayer said, his smirk audible in his voice. Levy cracked one eye open to see that smirk but she only saw him being hit by a rolled magazine over the head.

" Don't open your eyes, cheater, " the white-haired mage said with a disapproving pout to which the man growled. The small fairy didn't wish to receive the same treatment, even if it looked harmless, and closed her eye as well.

" Does Levy have pierced ear lobes? "

" Catgirl, what the hell are these stupid questions about? "

Another clap echoed in the room, the bluenette guessed that her friend had received another hit from the magazine. Gazille raised his voice in held back anger:

" _Tch_, hit me again and not only I'll make you eat that goddamn thing but I'll fling you by that window, over there. "

" There _is_ a reason for this, " Lisanna explained with what the bluenette imagined was a roll of the eyes, " Levy is your girlfriend and as such, you must know all those little things about her since, technically, you guys spend a lot of time ogling each others. If you can't answer those _stupid _questions easily then you have a problem. "

" Everyone observant enough could answer those, they don't need to date for that. "

" Maybe but _you_ need to know them even more than them... So? Her ear lobes, pierced or not? "

" _Tch_, Hell if I know, " the black-haired growled.

" Heh. "

" Damn you, little... "

" Levy, " the take-over mage cut before the insult came out of his already dirty mouth. " how many piercings does he have? "

" Just on his face? "

" Everywhere, I guess. "

Levy smiled smugly as she gave them the number. Lisanna gasped softly and Gazille snorted.

" R-really? Doesn't look like that many. "

For the sake of proving her point, the small fairy opened her eyes and quickly pointed at the different area on his face and body:

" There is six over his eyes, four on his nose, two under his mouth, five on each ears and four on each forearms. That makes thirty. "

Gazille met her eyes with a raised eyebrow and a corner of the mouth lifted, as if impressed by her quick calculation. She smiled back at him but didn't keep eye contact too long. No matter if it had been on purpose, she couldn't help but think that she had sounded like a stalker.

" Is that... the right number, Gazille? " asked the white-haired mage with a sly smile.

The iron dragonslayer only laughed his trademark _Gihihi_ in answer, grinning like only he could.

* * *

><p>For the second lesson of their training, Lisanna made them stand side by side. However, they were naturally inclined to stand at an arm's distance, just like they would with anyone else, and that displeased their coach:<p>

" Closer, guys, come on, " Lisanna was making exasperated gestures with her arms, " you almost have to share the same space, got it? You won't get bitten so don't be shy. "

" I wouldn't bet on that, " Gazille said with a snort, which made Levy hesitate slightly before getting closer to him. They were standing so close that the bluenette could feel his body heat on her arm.

The take-over mage put her hands on her hips and gave them a look-over, her head bent slightly on the side:

" Yeah, I guess it's okay... kinda. Anyway, let's move on: Levy, you give Gazille a hug. "

Levy gave a start:

" W-what? Why me? "

" Because hugging is girl stuff so you do it. "

Shocked speechless, the small fairy gaped at the white-haired woman while the dragonslayer started laughing mockingly.

" D-don't laugh! " she stuttered, her face becoming redder than Erza's hair in mere seconds.

" What goes around comes around... " the man said with a smirk, making allusion at how she had told him to take her hand, the day before, because he was the guy. She mentally scolded herself and muttered an insult at her _boyfriend_. He probably heard her but didn't seem to mind, if his growing smirk was any indication.

In front of Lisanna's pointed stare, Levy didn't have another choice than complying to what she has been told. Slowly and awkwardly, she opened her arms and placed them around the iron dragonslayer's waist while trying to fight the blush creeping on her cheeks. She felt like an idiot as she hugged him, it was as pointless as hugging a tree.

" No, no, no, Levy, you're too stiff, this is not how you show affection to your lover. "

" Sorry, I guess I can't really get it right... " the bluenette said as she pulled back, embarrassed.

" Just relax and let yourself go, " Lisanna advised with a patient smile. " Imagine that it's someone else standing there, someone you are always comfortable with. Like Lucy. "

" Lu-chan... " the young woman raised her head to look at the black-haired man in the eyes. She tried to imagine her best friend standing there and waiting for a hug, imagining her blond hair, her clothes and her cheerful eyes.

However, Gazille's serious face was so hard to ignore that all the bluenette managed to do was to imagine him with a little pig tail at the side of his head, wearing one of Lu-chan's sexy top and mini-skirt with matching heels.

She burst out laughing, her laugh ringing in the room like jingling bells. She half-heartedly tried to hide her mouth behind her hands while little tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. Useless to say that a certain black-haired man didn't appreciate her sense of humor.

" What the hell are you laughing at, Shrimp? "

The dragonslayer looked furious but the solid script mage was laughing so hard that it was impossible for her to answer anything to calm him down, even if she was sure that anything she could tell him wouldn't calm him down, anyway.

A moment later, when Levy had recovered her senses, the white-haired woman asked her if she was ready to try again. The bluenette nodded without losing the huge smile that was linking both of her ears and went back at her _boyfriend'_s side. She sneaked her arms around his waist and, this time, didn't feel any awkwardness in the gesture. Maybe it was because she was too busy thinking about anything else than a Gazille cosplaying as Lu-chan to feel self-conscious.

" Very good, Levy, " said Lisanna. " Now, Gazille, place your arm around her waist too. You can pretend that she's Lily, if you want. "

The iron dragonslayer shrugged and complied without a word, his face sporting back his usual serious face. His hand rested right under her ribcage and she noticed that it was big enough to cover to her hipbone. She couldn't help thinking that there really was a huge difference in size between them. Wouldn't they look weird when they would walk together? Except if she started wearing high heel shoes...

" Alright, " Lisanna said while clapping her hands once, " I think you guys are pretty good with the hugging. As long as you keep thinking about someone you like when you hug, it will be fine. "

The bluenette's shoulders shook slightly under a silent giggle and that made the dragonslayer growl between his teeth:

" Will you knock it off, dammit? What's so funny, anyway? "

" You don't want to know. "

* * *

><p>Lisanna was skipping on her way back to the main floor of the guild, a huge satisfied smile on her lips. The guild hall was already buzzing with shouts, laughs and cheers from the noisy guild members, all of them enjoying either a late breakfast or an early aperitif in celebration of completing the move to their guild. Among the crowd, Natsu and Gray were already arguing while Wendy and Lucy were trying to calm them down, without much success. At the same table, Juvia was daydreaming while Charle was scowling at all the ruckus the two mages were doing. A bit further, Elf-nii was having an arm-wrestling contest with some other guys, the raijinshu were chatting together and Lucky and Miki were sitting nearby, playing card games with Chico, Max and Warren.<p>

The youngest Strauss made her way to the bar where Cana was busy drinking, as usual, and her sister was filling tankards of beer.

" Good morning, Lisanna, " Mirajane greeted her with her never-failing smile, " I haven't seen you the whole morning, where were you? "

" Oh, I was in town, " the take-over mage glanced behind her toward Elfman before bending over the bar and whispering, " I was looking for a birthday present. "

Mirajane shared a knowing smile with her sister:

" You're right, his birthday is in less than two weeks, I'll have to get him something too. "

Lisanna hid her relieved sigh when her sister left to serve her customers, the older woman had seemingly believed the little lie. Glad with herself, the white-haired youth walked behind the bar to serve herself a cup of hot chocolate with some toasts. She was so busy with what she was doing that she didn't see two of her friends coming to see her.

" Hey, Lisanna, have you seen Levy, today? "

The young woman in question lifted her gaze and saw Jet and Droy standing there and looking a bit pale. It seemed like they had been running since they were sweating and panting.

" Well, I saw her with Gazille, three hours ago, " she easily lied. " They had breakfast early this morning then they left together. Why? "

Both Shadow Gear males groaned as their shoulders slumped.

" We've been looking for her everywhere, " whined Droy. " She's not here, she's not in her room nor in the library... We're out of ideas. "

" Did she tell you where they were going? We really need to talk to her. "

" Sorry, " Lisanna shook her head with a compassionate smile, " she didn't tell me. But, don't worry, she's bound to pop back, sooner or later, right? You know how it is: when you are with your lover, you can easily lose track of time. "

The guys left, looking dejected, and the take-over mage felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach. It didn't feel good to lie to them but it was a necessary evil. The new _couple_ needed some time alone, after all.

Anyway, with what Gazille and Levy were currently doing, they wouldn't show up before another hour. Which was good because she was pretty sure that she was going to be in trouble when they did.

* * *

><p>" That damn catgirl... She must be laughing her ass off, right now. "<p>

" Come on, don't say that. She did this to help us... kinda. "

" How is _this_ supposed to be helping? "

" Well... I admit that it's a bit troublesome... "

Gazille let out a frustrated _Tch_ while Levy dropped her eyes on one of her hands, pondering on the strange predicament the dragonslayer and herself were currently in. Gazille's fingers were intertwined with hers and a long pink-ish piece of cloth had been wrapped around both of their hands and wrists, making it impossible for them to let go of the other person, the same had been done with their other hands. Now, it wouldn't have been a problem for the black-haired man to break free if it had been a regular piece of cloth, he could have easily torn it off, however, the fabric was covered in runes which made it indestructible by physical strength. Using magic had quickly proved impossible since anything they could try would hurt the other.

Useless to mention that this little set up had been Lisanna's doing: for the sake of making them used to the feeling, she had made them face each other and hold hands while she wrapped the seemingly innocent cloth around their left and right hands. Before they even fully realized what had happened, the white-haired mage had fled the room as the magic cloth activated itself, the two mages unable to do anything else than curse to their heart content and try to struggle out of their bindings.

" Alright, " Levy said with a determined look, " let's try pulling outwards, this time. "

The dragonslayer nodded and took a wider stance with his legs, for better balance. The small fairy did the same and they both shared a look before pulling on the bindings with all their might. However, Gazille's strength was far greater than Levy had expected and he quickly overpowered her. The small fairy shouted a little _Eep!_ in surprise as she lost her footing, slammed against the dragonslayer's chest which in turn made him stumble backwards and fall on his butt. Gravity added its two cents and, in spite of her petite stature, the bluenette's weight was enough to push the man flat on his back, since neither of them could use their hands to hold back their fall.

All this resulting in a position that would be quite embarrassing to explain.

In his fall, Gazille had instinctively brought his hands near his head but since he was still ( unwillingly ) holding Levy's hands, the movement had brought said woman over him, sprawled over his chest, with her nose buried in the crook of his neck. With groans of pain and generous curses, both mages shared an annoyed look while the small fairy was losing a fight against the blood rushing to her face.

" Okay, you're right, Lisanna must have done this on purpose, " Levy sighed with closed eyes before sitting as best as she could while having her hands linked to her partner's. The dragonslayer snorted before falling silent, starring at the young woman who was now straddling his belly in a half-crouched position. She felt his eyes on her and looked back at him, not failing to notice how her body was moving up and down with his breathing:

" Do... do you want me to move further back? "

" Honestly, it wouldn't be a good idea. "

She opened her mouth to ask why but after quickly lowering her eyes on the spot where their bodies touched, she understood what he meant and tried to be as motionless as possible, her eyes raised to the ceiling that she was now fixing with passion to avoid seeing and thinking about how it had been such a bad idea to wear a dress. She seriously hoped that her dress neckline wasn't too low or too loose because she knew that he was in a perfect position to see it.

" What do we do, now? " she asked to distract herself.

Gazille fixed the cloth wrapped around his right hand, the runes glowing when he tried to move his fingers:

" These runes, are they the same than the ones from that rune-guy? You could rewrite them, no? "

" Yes, they look pretty similar, " Levy also looked at their joined hands, " however, to rewrite them, I would need my magical pen and I didn't bring it with me. I didn't think I would need it. "

She let out a silent sigh while she kept starring at the cloth, trying to figure out a way to free themselves before Lisanna came back, if she ever did. The iron dragonslayer, seemingly tired of laying on the hard floor, raised his legs slightly and swung his upper body up to get himself in a sitting position. The solid script mage quickly understood what he was trying to do and pulled on his arms to help him, ending up sitting directly on his lap. He crossed his legs under her to give her a more comfortable seat even if it was far from being ideal, with her legs dangling at each side of his waist. She wasn't going to complain about it, tho: this position was ten times less embarrassing than the previous one.

A moment passed where both mages were lost in thoughts, trying to figure out a way to free themselves. They were running out of ideas since struggling didn't work nor did using magic.

" There's got to be a way to break the spell... " muttered the bluenette.

Right as she spoke, a flash appeared over the _couple'_s heads and runes started to align, in the same manner Freed's runes would state the rules of his traps. Both mages looked at the words floating over them with wide eyes, it seemed that Levy had activated the runes binded to the cloth.

" Option 1: Answer all the following questions, " Gazille read out loud, his face showing the same confusion and surprise than Levy's. A list of questions appeared under the statement, a very long list, to be more precise, which made the man complain. " The fuck is that? There's at least one hundred of them, she can't really believe we'll answer all that? "

The bluenette slowly shook her head even tho she had no idea if he actually expected an answer. The list was indeed quite long and the questions were mostly about magical history and politic, the kind of things even she would have a hard time answering without any reference books. Who knew how much time it could take for them to clear that list? If she had her hands available, she would have grabbed her hair in discouragement.

Then, the young woman noticed another sentence written at the end of the list. It was an alternative to the first rule but what it stated sent chills down her spine.

_Option 2: Kiss on the lips._

Levy blinked at the rule, the words working their way inside her brain and everything that they implied. It was a joke, right?

Gazille blinked too, his breathing stuck in his throat and his face unreadable.

Their eyes met and what they saw confirmed that both of them had come to the exact same conclusion:

Lisanna had totally planned this.

* * *

><p>" That bitch... I told you that she was playing with us. "<p>

The bluenette felt like an idiot. She should have seen it coming, just like she should have seen the binding coming, as well.

" T-then, what do we do, now? "

The dragonslayer gave her a look of disbelief:

" You honestly consider answering all that? " he said, pointing at the list hovering over them. " That'll take us years! "

" I know but... " she shook her head while starring at the second rule, her frantic heartbeat loud in her ears. When they had started this thing, she had been silently wishing they would never have to kiss. Lisanna, at the beginning of this _boot camp_, had never mentioned that they would do it but with this set up, it was obvious that the take-over mage had planned for it.

" What's the matter? It's just a kiss, right? "

Levy's eyes locked with Gazille's, his face showing indifference. He obviously didn't give much thought about this. She lowered her gaze to her lap, her cheeks burning. It wasn't just a kiss, it was her _first kiss_ and she was about to waste it on someone she didn't have any feelings for. A girl's first kiss was supposed to be magical, _precious_, to be shared with a loved one. Not with someone who only showed affection to his cat, his iron and the sound of his fists against someone else jaw.

But she was ashamed to tell him that, after all, it was just a girl's fantasy she wanted to live, far from being enough to excuse herself from kissing him, especially since it was their easiest way out of this situation.

" Y-you're right, " she finally said after a long sigh, resigning herself to her fate. " It's just a kiss. "

Closing her eyes, the young woman braced herself for the contact, her back straight and her breathing shaky. Her heart was thundering against her rib cage and the anticipation was making her palms sweat. She didn't dare open her eyes to see him take her lips but, after a few seconds of nothing, she started to wonder what he was waiting for.

" _Tch_, let's answer the goddamn questions, instead. "

The bluenette opened her eyes and gave the man a confused look:

" Huh? Why? "

Gazille made some kind of grimace:

" Ya didn't see your face? You looked like you were being sent to death row. I know I ain't a pretty boy but I didn't think I would disgust you that much... "

The young woman's eyebrows disappeared in her hairline, surprised and a bit ashamed. Never she would have thought she would hear Gazille Redfox talk about his look to her, especially in a negative way. She decided to give him an explanation even if there was a chance he would mock her.

" No, no, it's not that. It's not because of you, it's just... You know, for a girl, the first kiss is supposed to be special and... well... I was hoping to keep mine for someone more... you know... " She wanted to say _Important_ or _Worthy_ but she feared he would be offended.

The man frowned with confusion:

" I thought it was virginity that was special for women. "

Her face got cherry red in half a second, how that guy was able to speak those words without flinching amazed her:

" Y-yeah, virginity is very special but the first kiss, let's say that it's not far behind. "

The black-haired man made a face that showed that he didn't really get the whole special meaning of a first kiss ( he probably didn't care much about it since he was a guy ) then he glanced at their linked hands.

" I dunno shit about that kind of stuff, Shorty, but one thing is sure, we've got to do something soon 'cause I seriously need to go to the bathroom and you can be sure there's no way I'll piss in my pants for the sake of sparing the purity of your lips. So, whatever you choose, make up your mind, quick. "

She would have complained about him calling her Shorty ( yet again ) but she saw how dead serious he looked and she chose to focus on the more pressing matter at the moment.

Coming out of the room to ask for help would make people ask them questions. On top of that, Mirajane could become suspicious if she knew why they were tied together, in the first place. So this option was out.

Waiting for Lisanna to come back or for the spell to break by itself wasn't good either, Gazille probably wouldn't last long enough for that, not that she could blame him. And answering the questionnaire would take too much time, as well.

The most logical solution would be to kiss the dragonslayer but this option was far from looking pleasant. Not because Gazille wasn't appealing, he had a distinct style but he wasn't ugly, however, she had always wished to offer everything about herself to the man she would love, including her first kiss. It was _cliché_ and maybe her romance novels were to blame for that but it really had been a dream for her.

But now, because of Lisanna, she would never be able to achieve it. Even if the girl was her nakama, right now, Levy only wished she could pay her back for making her waste her first kiss.

" Did you make up your mind? "

Gazille raised an inquiring eyebrow as he fixed her with his usual frown. He, too, was a victim of Lisanna's wicked sens of humor and she wouldn't be surprised if he would try to get his revenge, eventually. That was something that could be to her advantage...

" Can I ask you a favor, first? "

He nodded and her smile grew slightly naughty.

" You'll help me get back at Lisanna for this? "

He grinned in the same wicked manner than her, obvious excitement dancing in his eyes:

" Hell yeah. "

Chuckling, Levy shifted her legs, raising herself high enough to be face to face with the dragonslayer. Her lips touched his for a fraction of a second which was enough to break the spell and set them free. When they stood back on their feet, both of them were sharing the same devilish smirk.

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> Oh! Is the fun gonna start soon? hehe i hope you liked thx again for the faves/reviews they are SUUUPPPEEERRR (yeah i know wrong manga :P )

Also please forgive the next comment that is slightly unrelated but have you guys seen the new Fairy Tail OVA where team natsu goes back in time and see their younger self? we can see mini Levy in it shes just so... nyyaaa! ^.^


	4. Lie to me, baby!

**Author's notes:** They should create pills to cure Writer's blocks... really. ^.^ hope you'll enjoy, of course my name is not Hiro Mashima so you know what that means...

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 4 Lie to me, baby!**

It was cheerful and rowdy in the guild hall when Levy and Gazille came back. Everywhere, mages were dancing, cheering, laughing and drinking to their heart content. Even tho it was barely noon, there was already a couple of people sprawled here and there, already unconscious.

As they made their way to one of the tables who was closest to the bar, their eyes roamed among the crowd to spot a certain white-haired youth but it was without surprise that they failed to see her.

" She left, not too long ago, " said the dragonslayer with a sneer, " her scent is still lingering around here. "

" Hm, I guess we won't see her for a while, " the bluenette made a little pout. " That's too bad. "

" Nah, it's okay. We have to wait for her to drop her guard before striking. Vengeance is just like wine, you have to let it age to get the best taste of it. "

Levy's eyebrows disappeared in her hairline as she starred at the man who took a seat at her side. When he noticed her eyes on him, he growled a _What?_

" No, nothing, " she said with a little smile blooming on her lips, " I never expected to hear something so deep coming from your mouth, that's all. "

" _Tch_, shut up. "

She had a little laugh as she searched her shoulder bag for her book while he simply scowled in silence. The young woman opened her novel at the book-marked page while Gazille simply sighed and looked around without a word, his face the perfect definition of boredom.

Since it was a book she had already read, in the past, she wasn't feeling pulled into the story as much as she normally would and that was maybe the reason she noticed the black-haired man at her side, leaning on the table with his head nested in his crossed arms, with an apathetic look on his face. Perhaps it was only an impression but she had always thought that he was the type to always keep himself busy, may it be by taking jobs or picking fights. Maybe it was the roles they were playing that made him look so depressed, she was well aware that being stuck at her side while she read could be quite boring.

" I think it's fine if you want to go do something on your own, " she told him in a low voice, knowing he could hear her in spite of the ruckus around them. " Don't feel obligated to stay with me. "

" Hm? " he gave her a side look and shrugged, " nah, I've got nothing better to do, anyway. "

" Really? You don't even want to hang out with- Erh, by the way, now that I think about it, I haven't seen Pantherlily around, lately? " She looked left and right for said exceed but she didn't see him.

" He went to see the other exceeds with Salamander's cat, apparently they built themselves a town near the mountains. "

" Oh, that's nice. "

" He's been gone for a week, already. "

If the bluenette didn't know better, she could have sworn there was a hint of a pout in his voice.

" No wonder you miss him. "

Gazille scoffed:

" _Tch_, I don't miss him. "

He probably didn't notice her smiling at that or else, she was pretty sure he would have denied it twice as much. Resisting the urge to giggle at the cuteness of this sight, she buried her nose back into her book. A short moment after, Gazille's voice interrupted her reading:

" No wonder you made up such a corny story, look at the crap you're reading. "

Levy's eyes met his then shifted at the book in her hands, he was probably referring to the sickeningly pink cover and the title of the book that screamed mushy girly-ish romance. She shrugged:

" Ah, it's not the worse I've ever read, believe me. But it is true that I inspired myself from those kind of books to embellish the story, I had no choice with all the questions the girls asked me, yesterday. "

The dragonslayer grunted but, barely half a second later, gave a start, sat up straight and looked at her with wide eyes:

" What? Whadda ya mean _the girls_? "

She frowned at his outburst:

" The... girls from Fairy Hills. What's wrong? "

" You lied to me, " he pointed a finger at her. " This morning, you said you only told Bunnygirl about it. "

She opened her mouth in outrage at his accusing tone:

" I did not lie to you, you asked me what I told Lucy and I repeated the story to you but I never said that I hadn't told anyone else. "

" _Tch_, don't go playing with words, Shrimp! Just how many people heard it? "

Levy frowned at the nickname, he just couldn't call her by her name, right?

" If you really want to know, my dear Pooh Pooh, all the girls from the guild heard it. "

She smugly smirked at his sudden burst of anger:

" I told you to not call me that! "

" And I told you to not call me Shrimp, " she growled between gritted teeth. " My name shouldn't be so complicated to remember, even for a muscle brain like you. "

" You little- "

" Sorry to interrupt, perhaps I should come back later... "

Both mages turned to the source of the voice who had interrupted their glaring contest, their eyes falling on the furry black form of Pantherlily. The exceed was standing on the table with his front paws crossed over his chest and a curious look that switched from the blue-haired fairy to his dragonslayer.

" Damn, what took you so long, cat? "

" I helped them dig a well, " Lily answered with a shrug. " Is everything alright, here? "

" Oh, yes, Lily, everything is fine, " said Levy with a huge smile and an overly friendly voice, " Gazille was just acting like... well, like himself, that's all. "

The black-haired man in question scowled at the solid script mage, let out a frustrated _Tch_ and jumped on his feet while muttering darkly:

" Fuck that, I'm outta here. Lily, come. "

The exceed looked at the dragonslayer disappearing in the crowd in obvious anger, turned the head to Levy, only to see her reading her book with a sour face, then popped out his wings and flew after his partner.

When she was finally by herself, Levy let out a frustrated breath while glaring at her book, her knuckles turning white under the pressure.

" Stupid Gazille. "

* * *

><p>The iron dragonslayer didn't slow down one bit as he crossed the street, making a car screech to a halt and a couple of pedestrians jump away from his path. His whole body language was literally screaming <em>Stay Away I Bite<em>, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his teeth gritted in anger. Over his head, the black exceed was flying at the same fast pace, not wishing to risk his fur by getting too close, while trying to get a word from his partner.

" Care to explain what just happened? "

All Lily got as an answer was muttered words escaping from Gazille's mouth, something along the lines of _pissy traitorous bitch_ and _can't trust anyone out there_, all this livened up with the usual curses the man was famous for sprouting on a daily basis. They quickly made their way to the neighborhood where they lived, the streets relatively deserted at this early hour which wasn't an unusual thing since most people living here didn't wake up before two pm.

Swooping down in front of the black-haired man, Lily landed on a rusty iron fence nearby and called out to his friend with a tone he had used often when he was in the army:

" Don't make me get my sword, Gazille. "

Of course, it wasn't a real threat but the man knew that his cat would get nasty if he was ignored any longer. The dragonslayer didn't look any less angry as he slowed down before coming to lean against the fence, at the exceed's side. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes glared at the warehouses across the street as if they were the ones responsible for his bad mood.

" So? " The black exceed raised an invisible eyebrow, " Why were you fighting with Levy? "

Gazille scoffed:

" Nothing big. She just... She pissed me off, that's all. "

" Hm, does it have something to do with calling you Pooh Pooh? Whatever that means... "

Lily knew he had touched the sore spot because the moment the words had come out of his mouth, the dragonslayer twitched, snarled and made an iron object ( maybe a dagger, honestly, he wasn't sure) that was immediately thrown across the street, embbeding itself into one of the warehouse's wall.

" Goddammit! That dirty little... I fucking forbid her to call me that and she goes and say it in front of everybody, that bitch! That and she go sprouting crap to the others, scrapping my fucking reputation like it's nothing and even after I fucking agree to her goddamn shitty plan! Never should have gone along with it, in the first place! "

Gazille was pacing like a lion in cage, growling and cursing and throwing more stuff at the poor warehouse while Lily blinked, seriously trying to translate what he just heard into decent information.

" A plan that you agreed on... and your reputation? Why would Levy try to destroy your reputation? "

" I dunno! She fucking wants to make me pay... Wait, that's it! It's a fucking payback for what I did to her, back then! "

The exceed knew what his partner was talking about, he had been told about how Gazille had come to be a Fairy Tail mage and that had included even the less _glorious_ parts.

" Now, Gazille, you know that she forgave you for that, a long time ago. On top of that, Levy is not the type to purposely hurt others, in any way, there must be another reason she said those things to you. If I recall, you called her Shrimp, just before she got mad at you, right? "

The black-haired man fixed the cat with eyes that were asking if he had really heard that much of the conversation and a simple nod confirmed that, indeed, Lily did. He had been flying over the crowd toward the two mages when he had heard Gazille yell about Levy lying to him concerning a bunny. Or something like that.

The dragonslayer leaned back against the fence with his arms crossed over his chest, sighing:

" She... She hates it when I call her Shrimp. "

He was frowning at nothing in particular, purposely avoiding the cat's eyes.

" Why? "

" Dunno. She doesn't want to be called Shorty, neither. "

Lily rubbed his chin:

" Hm, I guess that everything that reminds her of her small body sounds like an insult to her ears. "

" I don't call her that to insult her. It's just that it fits her, ain't my fault if she takes it so personal. "

" Did you take it personal, too, when she called you Pooh Pooh? "

" _Tch_, it's not the same! _That_ is really insulting! No one, in their right mind, would go call their boyfr-fuck. "

Gazille's facade crumbled right there at his slip, he turned his back on the black cat and rubbed his eyes with his hand. Seemed like the truth was slowly coming out. Lily had a mental smirk at the sight of his dragonslayer losing his composure, the man had grown so comfortable around him that he no longer kept his guard up when they were alone. And, some times, it ended up with declarations of this kind.

" How about you tell me what you two have been doing while I was gone, hm? "

* * *

><p>Levy really wasn't in the mood to read, she had moved to take a seat at the bar and ordered a big slice of chocolate cake. Cana was sitting directly on the counter, not too far from her, and even if the small fairy wasn't really the type to drink alcohol, the barrel the card mage was hugging seemed very appealing. She shook her head and resumed eating her cake, getting drunk wasn't going to make her feelings disappear.<p>

She really couldn't call it anger anymore. Yes, she had been angry at him and his lack of respect for her but it was now something more akin to regret that was pressing on her chest, or maybe guilt, she wasn't sure which one. He called her those names all the time, as much as he gave names to everybody around them, there wasn't really a good reason for her to take it so seriously, right?

But she did, every time he would call her like that, her complex would grow inside her and shallow her, inevitably making her compare herself to the other girls. They were all so tall, so beautiful and so... grown, she still felt like a little schoolgirl in comparison. The only one who was like her was Wendy and, according to her Edolas version, it was just a matter of time before she, too, became a very well-endowed woman. Of course, she didn't hold it against her friends, it wasn't like they had anything to do with how she was made and they were all very nice about it, never rubbing it in and never considering her less worthy than them for that. But it was a fact: she wasn't like them and it was painful to admit that she hated it.

Maybe she really was still a schoolgirl? She wasn't as mature as she hoped to be if she still couldn't shake off those ugly feelings every time someone said something about her height or the size of her chest. After all, she had a lot of other qualities that were worth mentioning. She didn't consider herself to be ugly: sure, she wasn't stunning like Mirajane or sexy like Erza but she was cute, even pretty when she made an effort. She was very intelligent and sharp, cheerful and optimistic and her good mood was infectious.

A smile bloomed on the bluenette's face at those thoughts, she felt better already. She had only needed a little boost to get back on her feet and she wondered if maybe it had been the cake's work. Whatever it was, she thanked it and decided that she would go see Gazille and apologize for her outburst. Even if it was true that she didn't like it when he called her Shorty or Shrimp, she would still try to bear with it.

" You seem to feel better, Levy-chan. "

Levy gave a little start at the voice that pulled her out of her musing, raising her eyes in front of her to see the blue irises of Mirajane watching her tenderly, like a big sister, a gentle smile on her lips.

" Yeah, " the small fairy smiled, " I'm fine, now. "

" Everything is alright, I hope. "

Mirajane was talking about Gazille and her, obviously, but she didn't know if the barmaid saw them fight, earlier. She nodded:

" It's okay, I told him something that made him upset, I'll apologize when I'll see him. "

" I hope so, the two of you are just so cute together, it would really pain me to see you break up. "

The bluenette cleared her throat nervously, not sure what she was supposed to answer to that. Fortunately, Mirajane was too busy daydreaming to notice her: both of her hands were clasped together over her chest and her eyes had taken a dreamy look, sparkles falling like snowflakes around her. One step further into this fantasy and there would also be an harp playing in the background and flowers sprouting everywhere:

" Aw, you have no idea how long I've wished for the two of you to discover your love for each other. "

Levy sweatdropped, she actually had a pretty good idea, especially with all the not-so-subtle hinting of the past two months, and maybe even before that. Yet again, the barmaid wasn't aware of anything out of her pink bubble:

" But, now that you have found your prince charming, " as if she hadn't been embarrassed enough, the script mage almost choked on her cake at that part, " we can start planning for your wonderful happily ever after. I can already hear the bells for your incoming wedding- "

" I-I better go now, " Levy said with a white face, already rushing out of the guild to not hear the rest of Mirajane's _wonderful_ plans. How helplessly romantic that woman could possibly be?

* * *

><p>" So, if I got it right: you are going out with Levy. "<p>

A grunt. That meant yes so the exceed, who was now sitting on the man's shoulder, put aside the new questions he was having and pursued on the main topic:

" And she said something to the other females of the guild that you didn't want them to know. "

" Yeah. "

" So you yelled at her for that, insulted her- "

" I didn't insult her. "

Lily raised a paw:

" You insulted her _inadvertently_ which made her insult you back and that's when I arrived. "

" That's pretty much it, " Gazille scowled at his feet, he had clearly damaged the warehouse across the street so he chose to not look at it anymore.

The exceed watched his dragonslayer for a second:

" Just to be sure: Levy is the one you told me Mirajane was trying to match you with, right? "

" ...Yes. "

" The fact that you're going out with her now is because you changed your mind about her or... because of that plan you talked about, earlier? "

Gazille looked at his right shoulder where his friend was watching him patiently. He had already known that his cat was awesome and smart but he was still taken aback at how he had managed to get to the truth so quickly.

" It's simply because you told me about what Mirajane had been doing for the past weeks, " the cat explained to his silent question, " in any other case, I wouldn't have figured it out. "

The black-haired man shrugged, he didn't really care that Lily knew about it, he had planned to tell him anyway, in spite of his promise.

" The idea is to _go out, _" he made quotation marks with his fingers, " for a couple of weeks and then break up, that's supposed to make the barmaid stop trying to match us. "

" I see. And you think it's a bad plan? " Lily was referring to what the man had yelled earlier, about how Levy's plan had been _shitty_.

" It's not a bad plan, I just wasn't expecting all the shit that came with it. Acting like a freaking mushy dumbass, hugging and all that crap. "

" The nicknames, too. "

" She had promised to not call me those but she still did. That's what pissed me off. "

Lily hummed, he could see clearer in the situation his partner and the small fairy were in.

" But... I had also agreed to not call her names, too, " Gazille let out a sigh as he admitted his fault. The simple act of saying it out loud seemed quite difficult for the dragonslayer, surely his ego was taking the most of the blow.

" You know what you should do, right? "

The dragonslayer looked about to pout but only ended up making a _Tch _before straightening himself back on his feet.

" Yeah. "

The black exceed smiled with pride for his partner however, before the man started walking back to the guild, he stopped him in his track:

" You really should go fix that first, tho, " the cat said while pointing at the warehouse that looked like it had an unfortunate meeting with a machine gun.

* * *

><p>Levy's feet had taken her all the way to the park where various people were enjoying the warm breeze of this early summer day. There were children playing around and couples sitting together on the grass and benches. The sun was warm and the sky barely spotted with tiny white clouds.<p>

The small fairy strolled on the little path while lazily looking left and right, trying to find exactly what she would tell Gazille when she would see him. She seriously hoped he wouldn't still be mad at her.

She stopped when she reached a certain area of the park that held a lot of memories for her, one in particular that concerned the iron dragonslayer and herself. At her right was a huge tree that she remembered well since it was the exact place where she had met Gazille for the first time. She remembered how, after that meeting, she had been unable to walk near this tree without feeling faint and almost wetting her pants. The fear had possessed her whole being for days and nights in such a way that it had almost made her believe that there would never be any way out of her nightmare. Until the day Laxus attacked.

That was then, that very day, that things had changed, her vision had cleared and her scars had started healing. Not the physical scars, of course, but the ones inside, those who had pulled at her throat, guts and heart whenever the iron dragonslayer had been nearby or she would come too close to this very spot.

She sighed: it all felt so distant, now, it was making her nostalgic. A lot of things had changed since then.

Levy raised her eyes to the spot where Jet, Droy and her had been crucified. Back in the days, the holes and marks in the bark had always remained visible, long after the incident, as if to never let them forget. But today, seven years later, the marks were gone. The tree had healed just like she did.

Maybe it was because she had been lost in thoughts but she never heard him coming. She didn't notice his presence at her side until she randomly glanced at her left and a huge black spot appeared in her line of vision. The gruff dragonslayer was standing a few feet away from her, his hand stuffed in his pockets while his eyes were also looking at the huge tree in front of them, an unreadable mask on his face.

For a moment, neither of them said a word, Levy had no idea what to say to break the ice and Gazille didn't even look back at her. Maybe he was still mad at her. Twiddling her fingers nervously, she shifted her gaze to her feet before asking in a small voice:

" A-are you still angry? "

She didn't dare look at him even if he didn't answer back immediately.

" You? "

The bluenette shook her head, feeling a weight that she didn't know she had being lifted from her shoulders.

" I'm sorry for calling you _Pooh Pooh_ and _muscle brain_. I shouldn't have. "

Their eyes met and he rubbed the back of his neck:

" I guess I shouldn't have called you Shrimp, in the first place. "

Levy smiled sheepishly.

" I suppose that I kinda deserved it... since I didn't tell you about the other girls. "

He shrugged, a corner of his mouth lifting in a self-deprecating manner:

" Yeah, well... It's my fault for not asking first... "

They exchanged another look and both of them chuckled, here they were, fighting for taking the blame while, less than two hours ago, they were fighting for the exact opposite.

" Still friends? " the small fairy said, making a few step toward him. The black-haired man rolled his eyes, as if to scold her for suggesting they weren't. He also took a few steps toward her and after giving her a look-over, playfully ruffled her hair to the point she lost her bandanna, his huge trademark grin on his face. Levy shouted in indignation, tho her huge smile destroyed the effect, but she quickly got her _revenge_ as she hugged the dragonslayer's waist, making him freeze on the spot at the unexpected intrusion of his private bubble.

Gazille didn't dare make a single move as he fixed his ex S-class exam's partner _snuggling_ against him, one hand still hovering in the air and his studded eyebrows high on his forehead. He snuck a peek over his head where, in the tree's branches, Pantherlily made a gesture toward Levy that encouraged him to hug back. A bit embarrassed, he complied by placing one arm over her shoulder blades then slowly wrapping the other one a bit lower, not daring to add any pressure on her frail body.

She shook slightly under a giggle:

" Come on, Gazille, you can do better than that. Did you already forget what we learned, this morning? "

Levy's brown eyes met his red ones, obvious amusement dancing in them. He fought back the fire spreading to his cheeks, because though guys like him didn't blush, and managed to growl while avoiding her gaze:

" Warn me before doing stuff like that, dammit. "

The bluenette released him but her beaming smile never left her face. A few seconds passed where she just watched him try to act as if he hadn't been disturbed by what just happened:

" I'm glad we made up, " she told him finally, her hands clasped behind her back, " and I hope we won't fight like this again. "

Gazille shrugged with one shoulder:

" I don't promise you anything, Levy, but... I'll try to not call you Shrimp or Shorty anymore. "

Her eyes widened at the words, especially at her name, and her smile grew bigger if possible:

" I would like that a lot but it's okay if you don't. Don't change who you are just for me. "

The dragonslayer raised an eyebrow, he honestly had no idea what he could answer to that. The small fairy didn't let him speak up anyway, she was already making her way back to the guild:

" I guess I'll see you later, " she said over her shoulder. " Bye Lily. "

The black exceed waved back as he came to perch himself on the dragonslayer's shoulder, unable to tell when she had noticed his presence. The black-haired man was watching the young woman walk away with a pensive look on his face but suddenly, as if he had a change of heart, he called out to her:

" Oi. "

She turned around, surprised, she hadn't been too far to hear him.

" Got any plans for tonight? "

" No, " she answered with a curious look.

" Now you do. Ray's Palace, six pm, don't be late. "

His sharp grin grew wider when she blushed and agreed with a stuttered _Y-yes_. He swore the bluenette was walking much faster than she usually did as she disappeared behind the park's entrance's fences.

As Gazille started making his way back home, Lily patted his head with a smug smirk:

" For someone that doesn't like those mushy things, you sure did pretty well. Makes me wonder why... "

The black cat allowed himself a laugh when he had to fly off Gazille's shoulder to avoid a hit.

* * *

><p><strong> End notes: <strong>hehe this chapter was supposed to be their first date but it ended up being their first quarrel... meh, after being struck by the writer's block, anything's good, i guess! :D ( about chapt 273: it was so funny, cute and slightly disturbing... i swear, when rogue said _My only interest lies in you gazille_, i literally gave a start! my first thought was: wow a new fandom is born o.0 then I was like: oh new theory about who is rogue and who gazille might really be... coughcough_relatedtometalicana_cough! )

thx again for the reviews and faves its even better than se-erh chocolate. yeah chocolate :3


	5. 1st date! behold the romantic squad!

**Author's notes:** I feel like asking Lucy to come whip me for my lateness ^.^; for my defense i would like to say that sick kids dont help inspiration... that and manga chapter 274's last panel o.0 (whats gonna happen to my favorite bluenette?)

still do not own any fairies nor their tails.

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 5 The first date! Behold the romantic squad!**

Levy was in a much better mood as she walked back home, a never-ending smile stuck on her lips and a little spring in her steps. Not only she had made up with Gazille but he had taken the initiative to invite her to a date, something that had really surprised her. The fact that this date was going to be at a fancy restaurant was also quite unsuspected, not that she didn't want to give the dragonslayer any credit but she wouldn't be surprised if Pantherlily was the one behind the idea.

The bluenette was barely back from her trip across the city, and about to climb the path that led to Fairy Hills, when two distinct voices called out to her. Turning around to face the street she had just crossed, Levy's brain barely had time to register who had called her name when she was literally swept off her feet.

Jet and Droy swiftly caught her, lifted her up in mid-air then managed to squeeze her between them in a massive bear hug. She was still under the shock, and miraculously unharmed, while the guys just rubbed their faces against hers, their eyes sprouting waterfalls as they kept crying her name over and over.

" W-what the? Guys, what's going on? "

A cacophony of whines and sobs was her first answer with random words bailed here and there. It took her friends a moment to calm down and finally use real words in a real sentence:

" We're so sorry, Levy-chan! "

" Please, forgive us! "

The script mage raised a confused eyebrow:

" Sorry for what? "

She was put back on her feet as Jet grabbed her right hand and held it with both of his, giving her puppy dog eyes. She mentally cringed: those kind of look really shouldn't be done by a twenty-five years old, especially a male, it was creepy.

" We regret what happened, yesterday, Levy-chan. We don't have the right to judge your boyfriend, even if it happens to be... well, _him_. "

Droy took her left hand in his, his face in a similar state than Jet's:

" Can we still be friends? Shadow Gear isn't the same without you! "

Levy's eyes went from left to right, switching from Droy's pleading look to Jet's. Now that she was giving them a good look, both of them looked pale and the bags under their eyes made them look zombie-ish, as if they hadn't slept all night.

If she understood the situation, they felt guilty about the fight they had with Gazille, the day before, and somehow they thought that she was mad at them for that. It was really silly since the dragonslayer had been the one to taunt them, back then.

" What are you guys saying? " she asked with a reassuring smile. " Of course, we are still friends. What could possibly make you think that I wanted to leave the team? "

There was another set of cries as her friends cheered.

" We wanted to apologize since this morning but we couldn't find you anywhere, " explained Droy. " We thought that maybe you were mad at us and didn't want to see us again. "

The speed mage was nodding in agreement, wiping his face on his sleeve.

" Aaww, guys, " the bluenette squeezed both of their hands, " don't worry, we will always be part of the same team. I've just been busy, since this morning, and I couldn't see you but believe me, it wasn't because I was mad at you. "

All three mages shared a smile as the two males slowly recovered from their breakdown. Levy was also feeling better knowing her friends feelings toward her. It proved that, in spite of her choice of _lover_, they valued their friendship with her much more than the grudge they still had against the iron dragonslayer.

" We also wanted to say that we accept your choice, Levy-chan, " said Jet with a smile, " seeing you happy is the best we could ask for. "

The bluenette could see that he was speaking the truth, the light in his eyes proving it. Droy was also watching her with a caring expression. That was really a relief to know that things wouldn't go wrong with her friends because of her _relationship_ with Gazille.

" I'm very glad you guys feel that way. "

" Also, " Droy added, his face serious, " if he does anything you don't like... "

" We'll take care of him, be sure of it, " Jet completed, hitting his fist into his other hand's palm.

If Gazille had heard them, she was pretty sure _they_ would be the ones taken care of.

" Thank you but I don't think that will be necessary... " she raised both hands in front of her, sweating slightly. She loved Jet and Droy like her brothers but she sure knew that they would be no match for the iron dragonslayer, never in the next one hundred years. " I'll handle Gazille. "

Jet gave her an enigmatic smile:

" You really love him, don't you? "

The bluenette froze for a fraction of a second, the question having the same effect than a slap in the face. Jet's eyes bore into hers with such intensity that she found herself with a dry throat and a nervous shiver running down her spine.

" O-of course, I do, " she managed to say, a huge weight dropping in her stomach at the lie that escaped her lips. Her cheeks started burning like crazy and she had to fight the urge to hide her face behind her hands to avoid seeing the look her teammates were giving her. She doubted they noticed her hesitation but she figured that it would be best for her to take her distance before it was too late.

" Um, I'm sorry but I-I've got a date, tonight, and I have to get ready. "

" Sure, no problem, Levy-chan. We'll see each other tomorrow? "

Levy took a few steps back, agreeing to her friends demand before hurrying inside, hiding behind the door as if there was a giant bear on the other side. She felt her consciousness being swallowed by remorse for lying to her best friends, something she hadn't expected to have such a hard time to do.

* * *

><p>Ray's Palace was a very renowned restaurant in Magnolia, it wasn't the most expensive or chic but the clientele was usually wealthy. And, obviously, there was a certain dress code to respect.<p>

Levy had thought that she had already reached her quota of surprise for the day but she was proved wrong the moment she arrived at the restaurant and her eyes fell on the iron dragonslayer. He was standing near the front door, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his usual stoic expression on his face. True, the black-haired man looked quite out of place with his long hair and his piercings but he was dressed in a very nice black three-piece suit completed with a red tie that made him look like a gentleman. He looked so elegant that if she didn't know better, she could believe he wore those kind of clothes on a regular basis.

" Like what you see, Munchkin? "

The bluenette gave a start at the man's voice and realized that she had been starring. A blush crept on her face, that Gazille's teasing grin did nothing to extinguish, and she tried to change the subject to recover some of her dignity:

" Didn't you say you wouldn't call me names, anymore? "

She had placed her hands on her hips and puffed her cheeks. He raised an eyebrow without losing his smirk, making a few steps toward her:

" Nah, I only said I wouldn't call you _Shorty_ or _Shrimp_ anymore. "

" _Tch_, who's playing with words, now? " the small fairy muttered with a pout. The dragonslayer snorted and raised a hand to ruffle her hair but she quickly stopped him:

" Hey, don't you dare, I've spent half an hour just to get them like that. "

" Really? "

He gave her a look-over, from her small feet clad in high heel shoes to her pretty aqua-ish green dress, which straps were tied at her nape and the hem fell just above her knees, and up to her hair who was pulled in a intricate bun with wavy locks framing her face. She also wore black eyeliner to make her eyes stand out and a soft pink lipstick.

" Do I look good? "

He tilted his head slightly while appraising her:

" Yeah, you're not bad looking, I guess. "

Levy scoffed even tho the corners of her mouth were pointing upwards:

" _Not bad_, huh? After all the time I've spent getting myself ready... If you were my real boyfriend, I would be mad at you. "

Gazille pulled her closer to him by taking her hand before walking in the restaurant:

" You women always give yourselves too much trouble to impress guys, all this crap really isn't necessary. "

The bluenette had her doubts about that statement: if dressing up nice and sexy and putting make-up really was just _crap_, like he said, why was she still single? Most of her friends, who always dressed up nice and wore make-up, had dated and/or had been in at least one relationship while she, who almost never did those things, had never caught the eye of any guy. She refused to believe that her chest size was the only thing to blame for her celibacy.

It wasn't exactly true: she had been asked out before, just not by any _suitable_ guys. Jet and Droy were like brothers to her, no way she could have accepted to go out with them. Beside, if she had chosen one, the other would have been greatly upset and that might have destroyed their friendship and team.

The only other person who had shown interest for her had been a stalker who had scarred the living hell out of her, a couple of years ago ( much longer if she counted the seven years she spent in Fairy Sphere ), with his constant harassing and several attempts at abducting her. It had been mainly thanks to him that men were no longer allowed to come to Fairy Hills. The small fairy couldn't hold back a shudder at the unpleasant memory.

Maybe she was cursed. Or maybe she was simply a freak magnet. When she thought about the man at her side, she had no problem believing it.

The hostess had led them to a little table near the window, to the right side of the restaurant crowded with mostly couples. The atmosphere was quite chic and romantic with candles everywhere and a duo of violinist playing classical music.

When they were both seated, Gazille checked the wine list which, if his slightly widening eyes were any indications, prices were higher than expected. The bluenette honestly didn't care since she had no intention to drink. When a waiter, who didn't seem to like Gazille's face, came to offer them an aperitif, she was surprised to hear a strange word coming out of her _lover'_s mouth:

" _Brouilly_? "

It had sounded like a question directed at her.

" Huh? "

He nodded at the sour-faced waiter who left them without a word.

" It's a red wine, " he explained. " How come a bookworm like you never heard of it? "

Levy tried to not wince at the nickname while she answered:

" I don't drink alcohol, why would I care to know about them? "

" Ya don't drink, huh? Gihi, what a straight and well-behaved girl you are. "

She retorted to his teasing smirk with a raised eyebrow, refusing to let him get to her to fuel his entertainment:

" What surprise me the most is that _you_ know about wines in the first place, I never expected someone of your... kind to fancy anything else than beer. "

" Ya don't know much about what I fancy, woman, " the man said, far from looking insulted by her insinuation. " You could be surprised. "

She merely shrugged, far from believing that he could have any interests she hadn't already figured out. The waiter was back, barely a minute after, with the wine that he poured in glasses before giving them the menu. Every meals had a very sophisticated name with descriptions that wouldn't look out of place in a collection of poetry. Levy had no idea what to choose: everything looked so fancy and the prices weren't exactly in her means. While she pondered on her ( less expensive ) options, the dragonslayer let out a quiet _Tch_ before asking her in a low voice:

" Did you tell someone that you were coming here, tonight? "

She lifted her gaze from her menu to meet his ruby eyes:

" I told my teammates that I had a date but I didn't precise where. Why? "

" Seems like you've been followed. "

His eyes discreetly darted to her left, she subtly raised her menu before looking in the direction he had pointed.

" The furthest table, " he whispered.

Her eyes fell on the table in question and, more precisely, on the small group of females who were trying to hide behind menus. Even if she couldn't clearly see their faces, Mirajane's tied bang was easily recognizable.

Levy sighed while exchanging a look with her partner. She would be lying if she said she was really surprised.

* * *

><p>" Ray's Palace? Isn't that a five-star restaurant? "<p>

Lucy glanced at the woman at her side who had a huge smile linking both of her ears.

" Yes, the most romantic one of all Magnolia. "

They were currently hiding behind a store, across the street, where, unbeknown to the couple, they watched their every move. The stellar mage wasn't quite comfortable with the idea of spying on her best friend's date but Mirajane had convinced her to come along to check on the couple, just to make sure that they would be alright. Of course, Lucy didn't need to have it spelled out for her: the barmaid only wanted to peep on them to satisfy her addiction to romance.

" Indeed, " added a certain redhead, " this is a very popular place for couples and quite expensive, too. "

Apparently, the white-haired woman wasn't the only one addicted because she had managed to convince a whole group to tag along. That group was made of, in addition to the barmaid and the stellar mage, a scarlet-haired knight, a drunk fortune-teller and a water woman. It was a miracle that they hadn't been spotted yet, with all the swooning and sighing they did.

" Do we really have to be here? " Lucy said with a grimace, not wishing to be caught. " We are so invading their privacy... "

" Meh, we are just standing in the street, it's not like we don't have the right to be there, " pipped Cana with a smile. Mirajane nodded without taking her eyes out of the couple, her hands cupping her cheeks in a dreamy expression, while Erza starred at the blond with a dead serious expression:

" We are talking about our precious Levy's honor, here, Lucy. It is our duty, as the Romantic Squad, to make sure that Gazille will behave like a gentleman with her. "

Romantic Squad. That was the name the two S-class mages had come up with for their group.

The stellar mage muttered about the cheesiness of such a name but she quickly regretted it when she was sent on the floor with one good punch from her red-haired friend.

" Erza is just as helplessly romantic as Mira, " Cana said with a snort, comfortably leaning against the wall to watch the lovebirds. Behind her, Juvia stood silently, a small smile on her lips.

Lucy stood back on her feet while rubbing the huge bump that had grown on her head:

" I _kinda_ understand why Mira-san and Erza are there but what about you two? " she pointed at the alcoholic and the water woman.

" Juvia wanted to see Gazille-kun's first date. "

" I was bored, " Cana shrugged. Lucy sweat-dropped.

In front of Ray's Palace, the blue-haired fairy and the iron dragonslayer linked hands and started making their way inside.

" There, our job is over, right? " The blond mage said with a desperate sigh. " We can't do or see anything by staying here, anyway. "

The two S-class mages looked at the woman before sharing a look and a nod.

" Excellent suggestion, Lucy, we should go inside as well if we want to do our duty to perfection. "

" What? That's not what I meant- "

Erza shoved a red dress in her hands, looking up, she realized that all the other girls had been given one too:

" We can't go dressed casually so wear this. "

In front of the knight pointed stare, Lucy had no choice but to comply. She was greatly embarrassed by the prospect of being seen by passers-by but the idea of being stripped of her clothes and dressed by Erza was even worse. Cana did it as if she was doing nothing more unusual than putting new socks on, Erza ex-quipped and Mirajane was so excited to go see inside that she had changed faster than a blink. Only Juvia seemed to share Lucy's feelings, the woman being quite prude. An _helping_ hand from the knight solved the problem.

The Romantic Squad crossed the street and entered the restaurant, most of them being in obvious state of excitement. The hostess was nowhere in sight but a waiter passed near them and quickly welcomed them. He led them to the left side of the restaurant where he planned to give them a table at the other end of the restaurant but the redhead quickly stopped him. The white-haired woman pointed to their right where the whole group saw the couple and Erza informed the waiter that they wanted the table at their left which was unoccupied.

" I am sorry but this table is reserved- "

A combined glare from the two S-class mages cut him short:

" Ah, yes, well, there is no problem, my ladies. Please, take a seat here. "

The way the table was placed, the five of them could sit with their back facing the wall which allowed them to watch Levy and Gazille without cranking their necks. Fortunately, the restaurant was crowded enough and they doubted that they would be noticed by the dragonslayer.

After ordering different drinks, the women held their menus in front of them to conceal their faces, all except Cana who had propped her head in her hand and was watching the scene with a smirk.

" I still think this is a bad idea... " whined Lucy in a small voice.

* * *

><p>A growl escaped the lips of the iron dragonslayer as he fought the irresistible urge to scowl:<p>

" So nosy. "

Levy hummed in agreement, making a lot of effort to not turn the head toward the group. To think that Mirajane would follow them all the way here...

" Do you see who are the others? "

" Seems like Titania is there with Boozechick, Juvia and Bunnygirl. "

The small fairy's eyes widened. Lu-chan had come to spy on them? She would have never expected her to do such a thing.

" I can't believe it... Okay, Mirajane is a given but Erza? And the others, really, I don't understand why. "

" Juvia is a freaking sap, " Gazille explained with a roll of the eyes, " I guess the others too. "

The young woman was tempted to scold him for saying that Lucy might be a sap but she knew that it was true. Some part of her novel were proof of that. She supposed that he was right about Juvia since she always acted all lovey-dovey with Gray, as for Erza, those racy novels she liked could have developed her romantic side. Then, it only left Cana but Levy knew that the woman liked hanging out with Mirajane and Erza, especially if there was alcohol and/or money involved.

The bluenette smiled in resignation:

" Guess we'll have to play our parts, then. "

The black-haired man scoffed:

" Hopefully, she'll give us a break, after that. "

A short moment later, they gave their orders to the waiter and started talking with enthusiasm and acting affectionately. While Levy was smiling and laughing, Gazille's happy face made him look only mildly interested, per chance, everyone concerned knew that it was the closest to this kind of emotion he could muster.

It was fortunate that there was too many people around to be heard by the spies so they didn't have to change their subjects of conversation. Which was why they were currently talking about their morning activity:

" Catgirl's questions were fake? "

Levy nodded:

" Yeah, I played with the cloth to see what it could do and when I tried to answer the questions, I realized that there was no correct answers set to them. It was just a bluff. "

" _Tch_, damn bitch got us. "

" I was too nervous to realize it this morning but it really wasn't Lisanna's style to make something so elaborate and intellectual. That girl hates studying, there's no way she would have gone to such length just for a prank. "

" Really... " Gazille muttered before taking a sip of wine. " That sucks for you, tho. "

" Why? "

" If you had known, you wouldn't have wasted your first kiss on me. "

The script mage blinked at the man sitting in front of her, letting the information sink into her brain, but quickly scoffed with a smile:

" Ah, you know, it wasn't that big of a deal. I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I would be. "

It was true, she had stopped thinking about it the moment they had come down in the guild hall. Or maybe it was their fight that had helped her forget about it. Whatever it was, she knew she wouldn't lose any sleep because of it.

" Ya still want to get back at her, right? "

" Heh, of course, I don't accept being manipulated like that. "

The dragonslayer grinned, a gesture she copied unashamedly. She watched him take another sip of wine and her eyes darted to her own untouched glass.

" You should give it a try, Munchkin, it's very good. "

She bit her lower lip:

" I don't drink. "

" Why? Are you driving or something? "

The woman puffed her cheeks at his teasing tone:

" No. "

" Then, what's holding you? "

" I've had a few... strange experiences with alcohol, " she admitted, her face getting warmer against her will.

Gazille raised an eyebrow at her, the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk:

" What kind of experiences? "

" The confidential kind. "

Levy could clearly see his growing interest in his eyes, he obviously wanted to know what exactly she was talking about but there was no way she would ever tell him. She would never hear the end of it.

She was lucky enough to escape further questioning by the intervention of a woman who passed by their table. She was holding a basket full of roses and sporting a huge smile. She didn't waste any second and showed a flower to Gazille:

" Would Mister like to show his love for his lady with a rose? "

The dragonslayer, who was about to drink, replied without missing a beat:

" No. "

Levy's eyes widened at the blunt answer, not from disappointment but from the sight of the flower lady who froze on the spot, her smile faltering for a fraction of a second. Apparently, she wasn't used to be turned down so rudely.

" But surely Miss would appreciate such a beautiful gift, " the seller insisted.

The script mage could almost see a vein throbbing against her _boyfriend'_s temple, she decided to pick her glass of wine and pretend to smell its aroma to avoid being caught in the argument. Gazille glared at the intrusive woman with a look that could give nightmares to a dark mage, speaking in a dangerously slow tone:

" I said no. "

The flower lady opened her mouth in outrage, her face draining of its colors. Gazille's eyes met Levy's, a pure look of annoyance in them, which prompted the bluenette to play with the lock of wavy hair near her left ear, trying subtly to fight the smile blooming on her lips. The seller raised her head with a frustrated _Hmph!, _turned on her heels and walked away.

The small fairy waited a few seconds to be sure to not be heard by the woman in question before stating with a little gesture of the head:

" Seems like she did not appreciate. "

" As if I give a fuck. "

Almost immediately, in spite of the many customers nearby, the couple heard a series of incensed shouts and curses coming from a certain table at the furthest side of the restaurant. They didn't even have to look to know that a huge dark cloud of anger and hate was floating above it.

* * *

><p>" Cheap ass! Monster! "<p>

" Ruffian! Scumbag! "

" Please, Mira-san, Erza, not so loud. Everyone is looking at us. "

The white-haired maiden was holding her menu with such strength that her knuckles were even paler than her hair which were floating around her, announcing her incoming transformation into her Demon Form. At her side, the scarlet-haired woman's eyes were almost shooting swords at the iron dragonslayer while the blond mage at her side, Lucy, was trying to scoot away to avoid being victim of the two S-class fury.

At the other side of the barmaid, Juvia wasn't as angry as her friends but she still watched Gazille with a frown while Cana, sitting beside Lucy, had both elbows propped on the table, several empty shooter glasses in front of her.

" Meh, " said the fortune-teller with a smirk, " looks like he's not into flowers. "

The waiter came back at this moment to ask if they were finally ready to place their orders but a look at the redhead and the fair-haired woman made him take a step back. Cana asked him to keep the shooters coming while Mirajane growled in a dark voice:

" Wait until I get my hands on him, I'll throttle him! "

" Looks like I'll have to straighten that idiot, didn't think it would be so soon. "

The stellar mage sweat:

" M-maybe Levy-chan doesn't like flowers? "

" Of course, she likes flowers! Every single woman likes to receive flowers! "

" Juvia agrees. "

" The ones they sell in restaurant like this one are usually very expensive, " said the drunk mage, " it's never under 2000 Jewels each. "

Lucy's eyebrows shot in her hairline, she had not expected such a price. But still...

" Money doesn't matter when you love! " snarled the barmaid with indignation. " If he really loved her, he should have bought the whole bouquet! "

" Calm down, Mira, give him the benefit of the doubt. That's not Loke we're talking about, he probably doesn't even know about candlelight dinners. "

The white-haired woman growled while resuming her glaring. If he did another stupid thing, she swore he wouldn't be able to walk straight for a while.

* * *

><p>Levy felt pity for the man sitting in front of her. Gazille's face had paled slightly and the sour expression on his face was probably a result of the numerous threats and death wishes coming from the spies table. She was shivering at the ones she could hear but she could only guess that the ones <em>he<em> was able to hear were even worse.

" Seems like you failed the test... "

The black-haired man tried his best to not shudder under the glares that were stabbing his head like fresh meat.

" This is so stupid, what's the big deal to give flowers anyway? "

" I suppose that it would have been a nice gift. "

He snorted:

" But it's dumb to give flowers: they're full of bugs and they'll wither in no time. I wouldn't waste my time and money on something that wouldn't last more than a day. "

" I see your point but I think you should do something soon or else, you're life might be in danger. Erza did tell me she would straighten you up if needed. "

Gazille made a grimace as he leaned back against his chair with his hands on his lap, the gesture making him look much more like his usual self, before pushing a sigh. After a moment, he asked her:

" If it was a real date, would you have expected a flower? "

The bluenette's eyebrows raised:

" I guess, " she said after thinking about it. " Yet, if I had to choose between flowers and something more durable, like a book, I would choose the book anytime. "

He chuckled:

" No shit, Bookworm, you would choose a book over your life. "

" Hey, " she scolded him half-heartedly, her cheeks puffed, " that's not true! I wouldn't choose it over my life... probably. "

" Yeah, right. "

The dragonslayer smirked and she fought back the urge to pout. So what if she was a bookworm? It was her right, no?

" Come on, Levy, don't make that face. "

She assessed him, still a bit vexed:

" You sure enjoy picking on me. "

He shrugged:

" Yeah, I guess, " he said, far from sounding sorry. " I suppose I should make it up to you, now? "

" Indeed, " she said with a little haughty smile. " I'm expecting genuine apologies, Mr. Redfox. "

" Alright... "

Levy barely had time to notice the playful gleam in Gazille's eyes when he lifted his right hand from under the table and held in in front of her. In his hand, held between his index and his thumb, an iron rose was glimmering, so delicate and detailed that it seemed lifelike. The bluenette's face morphed into amazement, her eyebrows disappearing in her hairline, her eyes growing wide in wonder and her mouth taking the shape of a ring. She fixed the flower in awe, her hands hovering over her lap for a few seconds before she recovered her senses, blinked and finally reached out for it, an astonished whisper leaving her lips:

" Wow, Gazille... It's... " she shook her head, unable to find the words. " It's amazing. "

The black-haired man's smirk grew twice as big as he watched the small fairy finger his creation, turning it over to check it from every angles. Her eyes were shining and her lips were stuck in a huge smile that linked both of her ears. She finally looked back at him:

" I never saw anything more... more... "

" Gihihi, are you speechless? Damn, never thought I would ever see that happening, even less provoke it. "

Levy could only shake her head, really at a loss for words. She wasn't the only one astonished by the gesture.

* * *

><p><em>" Oh my god! "<em>

_" This is... "_

_" Wow, smooth move, Ironboy. "_

_" J-Juvia feels like fainting... "_

_" Aaww, how cuuute! "_

Gazille and Levy, hearing the various exclamations from the females at the other table, couldn't help the huge grins on their lips. They barely noticed the waiter who arrived with their meals, too busy fighting the urge to laugh at the barmaid's many " kyaaa " and " It's so romantic! ". They exchanged a smug look, picked their glass of wine at the same time and clinked them in victory.

" Score. "

* * *

><p>It was almost two hours later when the <em>couple<em> left the restaurant. The sun was almost set and the sky shone with a mix of dark blue, pink and purple. The small fairy was walking at the dragonslayer's side while gazing at the iron rose she had stuck under her nose, a pretty smile on her lips.

" Don't bother smelling it, Munchkin, there's no scent to that. "

She had a little laugh:

" It does have a scent: it smells like iron. " She paused before adding. " It smells like you, actually. "

Gazille retorted with a _Tch_, refusing to comment or to think about what this statement was supposed to mean.

" I still think I should pay you my part, you know, " the young woman said shortly after, a comment that sounded out of the blue but her partner knew what she was talking about. They had silently argued about it when the time had come to pay the bill.

" My cat promised to kick my ass if I let you pay so forget about it. "

" But it was quite expensive and... I drank some of your wine... "

She was glad it was getting dark because her cheeks grew warm. Gazille smirked:

" You liked it, huh? "

" N-not at all, I just drank to be polite. "

He laughed out loud at her denial. She had been so adamant to not drink and yet, the moment she had tasted the wine, she had emptied her glass like it had been juice. He didn't believe she was drunk but it was obvious that the glass she drank, not as reluctantly as she claimed, had made her slightly tipsy. He guessed that it was to be expected since she had such a small body.

He would have liked to get her to drink more just to see what she was like when drunk. Surely that would have been a funny sight. And she had also said something about strange experiences with alcohol earlier that had roused his curiosity. He made a mental note to find out about it eventually.

They were quietly making their way to Fairy Hills, another thing the black-haired man had insisted to do, when suspicious giggles echoed in the almost empty street.

" Are they still following us? " Levy asked in surprise.

The man at her side sniffed the air and scoffed:

" Yep. "

" Wow, they really are tenacious. "

" I would say perverted. How addicted to mushy crap can you be? "

Levy shrugged, it was the kind of question impossible to get a real answer to. She got closer to him and hugged his arm.

" Our _couple_ is still new and that makes it attractive, I suppose she will grow tired of it, eventually. "

" Yeah, well, you said the same thing about her matchmaking attempts. "

The script mage let out a nervous cough but didn't retort anything to that, mainly because she knew he was right.

They eventually made it to the female dormitory, the sun had already set and the dark sky was spotted with billion of stars. The duo walked the path until they arrived right at the front door. Since the area was secluded, it was very quiet and that allowed them to hear their followers's voices who were most probably hiding nearby.

Levy joined hands in front of her as she raised the head to look at Gazille with a smile.

" Thank you very much, it was great. "

The dragonslayer grunted, one corner of his lips lifted in a smirk.

" Next time, let's go somewhere less fancy, " she added with a little laugh.

" Yeah. "

The bluenette lowered her gaze as the black-haired man rubbed the back of his neck. Both of them had no idea what to say, next.

" I guess I'll see you tomorrow, " he finally said.

She nodded, feeling her cheeks getting warmer. She suspected that this was the part where they were supposed to kiss however, in all the romance books she had studied, it was the guy who would kiss the girl. Unfortunately, Gazille didn't look about to do anything of the sort and he was even starting to turn on his heels to walk away. She had to do something!

It was up to her, now. Levy took one step forward with her arms raised to reach for him, she hesitated for a second then she quickly summoned her courage and sprang forward again, catching Gazille's tie with one hand, cupping his cheek with the other and brought her lips against his in one smooth movement.

The dragonslayer froze on the spot, his eyes wide and his body stuck in a half bow. Before his brain registered the information that Levy's soft lips were making contact with his, the kiss was already over, the bluenette had already blurted a _Goodnight_ and the front door of the dormitory had already slammed shut, leaving him standing there, in the darkness of the night, like a dumbfounded statue.

* * *

><p><strong>End notes: <strong>was it good? i hope so ty very much for your reviews they are fun and inspiring


	6. Truth if you dare!

**Author's notes:** and here I told myself: I'll (try) to do smaller chapters so I could update more often... and I'm late -.-; I blame my amazing procrastination skills :3

I do not own Fairy Tail. But you guys probably knew that.

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 6 Truth if you dare**

Gazille wasn't happy.

That, in itself, wasn't something so unusual for the iron dragonslayer, everyone knew the guy to be moody on a regular basis. They usually feared him more when he was _not_ scowling, smiling that wicked grin of his instead, because that was then that trouble would come and, most often than not, end up provoking a fight with either Barmaid's manly brother, Salamander or, Heaven forbid, Titania.

However, the black-haired man really wasn't in a good mood and what made it worse was that he couldn't take out his frustration on the one he held responsible because it just happened to be the small solid script mage. The same small solid script mage he was pretending to date to satisfy the perversion of an evil barmaid in need of a good fuck. Beside, he had already harmed the Pipsqueak once too often, something he wasn't proud of and that he would never do again.

Now, why would the Munchkin be responsible for his foul mood? Because she had successfully done something the dragonslayer had promised himself would never happen: she had totally and unashamedly caught him off-guard. With a kiss. A freaking kiss that he had not expected at all and that he was ashamed to admit had provoked a shut-down of his brain. On top of that, as if making him look like a fool in front of the dormitory's door hadn't been enough, that goddamn lip contact had kept him awake for a good part of the night. Gazille could still hear the snickering of his cat when he had been busy tossing and turning in his bed.

For someone who had been so freaked out about wasting her first kiss, she sure had been assertive about her second one. He didn't doubt that the glass of wine she had had been to blame for her bold action. What a light weight: being so vulnerable to such a small amount of alcohol, it was ridiculous.

_Said the guy who was perturbed all night long by one little kiss._

Gazille growled at the teasing voice echoing in his head, a voice that sounded way too much like Lily's. He had not been perturbed by that kiss, absolutely fucking not! It was only because she hadn't warned him before doing it and it had taken him by surprise. He cursed under his breath at the thought, a guy like him, the one and only freaking _Kurogane_, really shouldn't be taken by surprise by something so insignificant. It had been just a kiss, for fuck sake, why did it make him react this way?

" Are you alright, Gazille? "

The dragonslayer shifted his gaze to his left where the one responsible for his lack of sleep watched him with worried eyes, a cup of coffee hovering near her lips. They were both sitting at the guild bar, having breakfast.

" You were spacing out, did you sleep well? "

Was she mocking him?

_No, Dumbass, she's not because she hadn't done anything wrong. You're just the one who's overreacting for no reasons._

His cat was really cool but he could be quite infuriating. Especially when he was right. It was a good thing the real black exceed was busy chatting with Salamander and Girlie's cats or else, he was pretty sure his words would echo the ones in his head.

" I'm fine, " the dragonslayer grunted before fixing a random bottle of something behind the bar. Luckily it was Barmaid's day off because she would have been smothering them with her mushy crap and he really wasn't in the mood for dealing with that.

Levy drank a bit of her favorite drink and moved her fingers toward the spot on the counter in front of the man. In no time, the word _Iron_ appeared with a clank, successfully pulling the black-haired man out of his grumpy bubble. When he looked back at her, she simply smiled before going back to her bagel.

Tch. Now he couldn't even pretend to be mad at her anymore. Not that he had really been mad at her to begin with: he was quite aware that he was pissed at himself for having been caught off-guard by a gesture that he should have expected. It had been a freaking date, even if it had been his first, he wasn't dumb: he knew that kissing was supposed to come into the deal.

At least, he hadn't blushed like a girl. Now THAT would have been humiliating.

" Feeling better? "

The dragonslayer hummed in affirmative between two bites of his favorite snack. The young woman at his side nodded to herself, feeling proud of having helped her friend.

* * *

><p>The guild hall was starting to get crowded as more and more people woke up and came to join their friends and teammates. The two males from team Shadow Gear arrived soon after and quickly waved to their leader.<p>

Levy waved back before draining the rest of her coffee and bolting off her stool, leaving the black-haired man to look at her retreating back with a raised eyebrow. The small fairy skipped happily to join her teammates near the request board, all of them smiling and chatting animately.

" Oh, look at that, " said a cool voice near the dragonslayer. The man turned back on his stool and spotted Cana sitting cross-legged on the bar with a sly grin on her face. " You might want to keep an eye on them, you know, Jet and Droy both have crushes on her. "

Gazille snorted before resuming his meal:

" I ain't worried. If they're stupid enough to try anything, I'll gladly put them back in their places. "

Now, that would be nice. Okay, Shorty would be mad at him but still...

Boozechick chuckled before she looked around for any signs of Kinana, the waitress in charge of the bar today. When she failed to spot her, the card mage bent over the counter in one swift movement and picked up a bottle of whiskey that she didn't waste any time tasting the quality.

She spoke again after a short moment, the bottle already half downed:

" So? How was your date? "

The black-haired man fixed the drunk mage with a sarcastic stare:

" _Tch_, why dontcha tell me, Boozechick? "

" Heh, you saw us? "

" No shit. "

The brunette let out a loud guffaw:

" I knew you would, I should have bet with Mira on that. "

Gazille growled:

" You idiots should have minded your own goddamn business, instead. "

" Oi, don't blame me, it was Mira and Erza's idea. I just tagged along 'cause I was bored, " she said with humor. Obviously, she found the whole conversation quite entertaining.

" You need a hobby. "

The woman shrugged, yet again far from being fazed by his comment.

" Judging by the way you reacted yesterday, Levy's kiss must have been good, huh? No wonder with all the experiences she's got... "

The dragonslayer was awfully tempted to shut that woman's trap, no matter if she was Gildarts kid or not, however his attention caught on the last part of her comment.

" How's the bookworm experienced, exactly? "

" Huh? You didn't know? " Cana grinned before taking another long sip of whiskey. " Levy's lips weren't exactly _virgin_ before you came, if you know what I mean. "

Gazille raised an eyebrow in surprise: hadn't the Shrimp said that he had been her first? Why would she make such a fuss about it if it wasn't even true? She wasn't the type to lie about something like that but, then again, she had proven herself to be quite surprising, lately. Maybe little Miss Perfect wasn't as white as she claimed.

" Is that so? "

" Heh, it's a pretty funny story, " the brunette started, her wide grin showing the growing effect of the alcohol she had drank, " it all started when-"

" CANA! "

The drunk mage's voice was cut short by the solid script mage, who had seemingly came back at this moment and heard the card mage conversation. The small fairy's hands slapped against her friend's mouth, her body half-sprawled over the bar. Cana's voice came out muffled because of the bluenette's hands but the dragonslayer still understood most of it:

" Oh, hi, Levy, we were talking about you... "

Levy's face was white as a sheet while she glared at the brunette, growling between her teeth:

" Cana, you aren't supposed to talk about THAT to anyone, did you forget? "

The older woman shrugged with a little giggle. Gazille's eyes shifted from the drunk to the bookworm, a smirk growing on his lips: he just couldn't help finding the picture quite funny. Whatever Boozechick was about to tell him, it was obvious that Shorty did not want him to know and that single detail made him want to know even more.

" And what is THAT exactly, Munchkin? " he asked her, teasing evident in his voice.

" Nothing! " she retorted, her white cheeks growing red in half a second. Her eyes darted to meet his but she quickly averted them. It was definitively getting interesting.

" Care to explain, Boozechick? "

He supposed that if Shortstuff didn't tell him, the drunk woman would. But before the busty woman opened her mouth to spill it, the small fairy brought her face close to her ear and whispered in a venom-filled voice:

" You say anything and I'll babble to Mira about that time you woke up naked in Bixlow's bed... "

If Gazille had been anyone else, he probably wouldn't have heard it but with his good hearing, he didn't miss a single word of Shorty's threat. The card mage exchanged a look with the bluenette, her face devoid of any traces of humor, and when she realized that Levy could very well carry out her menace, she simply smirked:

" Heh, alright, Levy, I won't say it. "

The small fairy was still beet red when Cana winked knowingly at the dragonslayer and slipped off the bar to go join Macao at his table. The black-haired man purposely kept his mouth shut, watching the young woman fidget under his gaze until she simply came down from the stool and walked away to a unoccupied table, looking as dignified as possible when having a face the same color as tomatoes.

Running away, was she? No way.

Unsurprisingly, the bluenette had started reading a book thick as his fist when he approached and silently sat at her side. He kept his eyes on the crowd of mages having fun, near the stage, while his ears were picking every little sounds made by the Shrimp at his side, may it be the sounds of the pages being turned or her breathing that she was trying to control. It was highly entertaining to feel her getting nervous and annoyed by his presence, the fun was even greater since he didn't even have to look at her to make her feel this way.

It didn't take long before she finally snapped, her cheeks puffing with irritation:

" I'm not going to tell you, you're wasting your time. "

Yet again, he did not look back at her but he knew that the little chuckle that rumbled in his throat made her frown.

" Is that so? "

" Yes so don't bother asking. "

He smiled, anticipating her next reaction:

" I won't ask, I already know. "

" Huh? "

From the corner of his eyes, he saw her flinch and wipe her face in his direction, her eyes wide in shock. He mentally laughed, she had caught the bait so easily.

" You... you know? "

He hummed in affirmative.

" W-what did she tell you? "

He lazily shrugged, only pausing to increase her anxiety.

" Hmm... Nothing much beside that you lied to me. "

" What? "

She was obviously confused but he forced his face to stay as neutral as possible as he turned his gaze on her. It wasn't an easy feat: he so wanted to burst out laughing at her dumbstruck expression.

" Yesterday, " he started slowly, " you said that it was your first kiss. Yet, that's not what Boozechick told me... "

The bluenette's face turned red again, she tried to hide it behind her book but it was useless.

" I-it's... erh, I mean, I didn't lie. W-whatever she told you, i-it's not what you think! "

He couldn't fight the huge grin that bloomed on his face, it really was too funny watching her being this embarrassed.

" Really? Then, what is it? "

She opened her mouth to reply something but she needed a couple of tries before words actually came out:

" Yesterday, it was my first, uhm... _official_ kiss. "

He raised an eyebrow, what kind of answer was that?

" Your official kiss? Are you shitting me? "

" N-no, I'm not. " she stuttered. Her skin looked so hot he was sure that steam was about to come out of it. " My... real first kiss was messed up by _circumstances_ out of my control and... I decided that it wouldn't count and that my next one would be my official one. "

He blinked, remembering her words from last night, about strange experiences with alcohol. His instinct told him it was related.

" By circumstances out of your control, you mean you were drunk. "

She flinched but she nodded.

" Y-yes. "

" Which is why you don't want to drink anymore. "

She nodded again, he snorted.

" Okay but then, what does Boozechick have to do in this? "

She looked back up at him and pushed a sigh before speaking in a sheepish voice:

" One night, I was drinking with Cana, she told me that I was too straight for my own good and I told her that I could be rebellious if I wanted. She dared me to prove it and I did: I grabbed the first person that came close to me and... "

The small fairy was hiding her face behind her book again, her blue hair making an awful contrast with her red skin. The sight was quite funny, he had to admit.

" Sooo... Your first kiss was with a guy you assaulted while being drunk. "

The bookworm's eyes shifted to his for a fraction of a second before resting on her twiddling fingers.

" N-not exactly... "

" Not exactly? "

She mumbled the next part:

" It wasn't a guy. "

* * *

><p>To say that Gazille hadn't expected that answer would be accurate. However, to say that he hadn't expected his reaction to that answer was an understatement. Levy <em>Miss Goody-two-shoes<em> McGarden's first kiss had been with a chick?

The images that were currently assaulting his brain weren't exactly PG-13.

What? In spite of the appearance, he was an healthy male and even _he_ thought that two women doing this kind of things together was hot. It was even hotter thinking that the petite mage at his side, all prime and proper, could do such things under the effect of alcohol. He really had no problem imagining it, especially after what she had done after their date, last evening.

Now, the real question was:

" Who? "

He had tried his best to sound casual but that hadn't prevented the Bookworm to be startled at his question.

" W-what? No way I'll tell you that! It's embarrassing enough that you know, " she turned her head to avoid looking at him, her hands fisted on her lap. He wondered if the fact that she was blushing non-stop could make her skin permanently red, on the long run.

Not ready to give up on his source of entertainment yet, he brought his head close to hers, his mouth near her ear:

" Perhaps I should go ask Boozechick about it, " he whispered through his smirk, " she looks drunk enough, I don't think your blackmail will be enough to keep her tongue. "

Her brown eyes snapped back to his red ones who were shinning with mischief. Her bottom lip was stuck in a little displeased pout:

" You... are enjoying yourself way too much to my liking. "

His smirk only grew larger as an answer. She let out a little _humph_ before opening her book again and resuming her reading. He watched her for a short moment, trying to make her spill it with the sheer force of his aura but she had seemingly stopped caring about him. He had no idea if she knew that he didn't really have the intention to go see the drunk mage. Honestly, where would be the fun in that? Teasing the Bookworm was much funnier but only if she reacted in the first place.

Gazille leaned back against the little wall that was right behind their bench and propped his feet on the table, his arms crossed behind his head. He started scanning the crowd of guild mates for all the females, trying to list the potential candidates. He could already rule out Boozechick since she had been the one to provoke the little fairy into this.

" Bunnygirl. "

She frowned in confusion:

" What? "

" It was Bunnygirl, isn't it? " he asked with a grin.

Her cheeks were barely back to their normal color when she gave a start and started blushing again. Oh, seemed like he had been right on the first try.

" You're ridiculous, Gazille. "

" You snogged Bunnygirl. Gihi, no wonder you never dated those fanboys of yours, you swing the other way. "

" Hey! Don't say stuff like that! " the small fairy tried to clasp her hand over his mouth but he waved her hand away with one lazy gesture.

" Come on, don't be shy, I don't judge you. "

She puffed her cheeks while he laughed at her vexed expression:

" Will you knock it off? It wasn't Lu-chan! "

" Oh? " he raised an eyebrow, slightly disappointed. Too bad, the image had been quite pleasant.

" She wasn't even part of the guild yet, " she added with a pout.

" Is that so? " He rubbed his chin in a pensive manner. " Then, it means it can't be Juvia or Girlie. "

The bluenette let out a disgusted noise, muttering about how she wouldn't go as far as kissing Wendy, even drunk. He had honestly not thought that the small dragonslayer could have been the one, the idea was ridiculous, and as for Juvia, that woman would have melted in a steaming puddle of embarrassment every time the Shorty would have been around.

" Hmmm, who else could be your type? " he asked aloud, just to make her react. She rolled her eyes. " Wait... Titania? "

" Tch, don't be stupid, she would have never let me hear the end of it. "

" The Barmaid, then? "

" As if. And before you even think about it, no, it wasn't Lisanna neither. She was... well... _dead_... "

His options were growing thin.

" How about... the cowgirl? "

" How about you let it go? " she said with a sigh. " Go do a job with Lily or pick a fight with Natsu. You're annoying. "

" Tell me and I'll leave you alone. "

" Why do you want to know so much? It shouldn't matter to you. "

Theoretically, she was right but he forced himself to ignore that detail.

" It should matter to me since it's my _girlfriend'_s first kiss we're talking about. "

The word _girlfriend _sounded alien to his ears, that word really wasn't compatible with his vocabulary. The Bookworm seemed to share his opinion because she also made a strange face when hearing it.

" You're not making sense to me, " she finally said before going back to her book. " If I had known you would be so unpleasant, I wouldn't have gave you that iron, earlier. "

" Or you could have been honest with me from the beginning. "

She let out a long frustrated sigh that sounded like music to his ears. Yep, annoying the Shorty was really fun, almost as fun as punching Salamander. She had it coming, anyway, served her right for making a fool out of him, last night.

_Yeah, right, as if that was the real reason. If I didn't know better, I could believe you like getting her attention._

Shut up.

" Lucky. "

It took him a second to realize she had said something. Not that he had been distracted or anything.

" Huh? "

" I said Lucky. "

" Lucky for what? Now, it's you who's not making sense, Munchkin. "

She looked at him with a half-smile:

" The first person I've kissed, " she explained, " her name is Lucky Olietta. "

He gave her a blank look that lasted a good fifteen seconds...

" Who? "

" You don't even know, " she snorted while shaking her head, a big smile on her lips. " Seems like you've just wasted your time. "

Her smile was looking way too smug for his taste, it wasn't fun anymore if she was the one with the last word, but he wasn't ready to surrender yet. Giving a good look at the guild members, he spotted the females he had never spoken to or even heard of, surely that _Lucky_ was one of them.

" She's the one with the horns? " he pointed at a woman with long light brown hair, wearing a long stripped dress and a pair of yellow horns on the top of her head. The Pipsqueak saw him and slapped his hand:

" Gazille, it's rude to point! And no, that's not her. "

He purposely pointed at another woman, this one with tanned skin and long blond hair:

" This one, then? The one with the ghosts. "

" No. "

It wasn't looking good for him. He didn't want to admit defeat and even less beg the Shrimp. Fortunately, his luck turned around when he picked up the voice of a random guild member calling for that Lucky. That's when he spotted her: a violet-haired woman with a ponytail who wore round glasses. He couldn't even recall having seen her before, if the Shorty hadn't told him her name, he would have never guessed. He was a bit disappointed too: she had a generous chest, like most of the other females of the guild, but he didn't think she was particularly good looking and thus, that made the whole _Shrimp kisses another chick_ thing a bit less exciting.

" I should have guessed you would have gone for the only other bookworm, in here, " he finally said with a smirk.

The bluenette's cheeks were slightly pink and puffed when she answered:

" I did _not_ purposely go for her. It could have been anyone else, even a guy. "

" Even your fanboys? "

She opened her mouth to answer something but she quickly turned her head the other way. She muttered something about how screwed she would have been if it had been the case and he snickered, making her blush twice as much as she realized that he had clearly heard her.

" Are you done humiliating me, now? " she asked him while closing her book.

He pretended to think about it, enjoying the sight of her pouting. He was really tempted to say no just to freak her out but he couldn't find anything else to tease her with. There was always the possibility to go babble about this juicy secret to the others but that would make him a gossip and Hell would freeze over before he lowered himself to become one.

He unfortunately didn't have time to ponder on the question anymore because Lily flew to them and the Shorty quickly started begging him:

" Thank you, Mavis! Lily, please do something about your dragonslayer, he's insufferable! "

The black exceed chuckled:

" I know, he can be a real ass when he's bored. "

" Oi. "

" I've got ourselves a job, " Lily pursued as if there hadn't been any interruption, " there's a gang of thieves in the East that needs to be stopped. "

" Perfect, just what I needed, " Gazille said while getting on his feet and stretching. Levy also raised herself off the bench, her book held against her chest.

" Be careful on your job. Hopefully, you'll be more pleasant when you'll come back. "

The black-haired man looked down at the small bluenette, one eyebrow raised with a ghost of a smirk on his lips.

" Maybe but I wouldn't bet on that. "

She smiled sweetly:

" I'll try to not miss you too much. "

He didn't fail to notice the sarcasm in her comment, something that somehow pleased him. However, he knew he would be damned if he let her have the last word.

" If you do, you could always go see your _girlfriend_. "

Her eyes widened in shock as her cheeks reddened for the hundred time that day. She finally retorted with a snort:

" And yet, she would probably treat me better than you do. "

He chuckled, very pleased by the reaction he had gotten from her, before lowering his head until his face came close to hers. His eyes darted to her bottom lip and the memory of her daring kiss from last night came back to his mind. Should he get back at her? He didn't have anything close to a good reason to do so but... Ah, the hell with excuses, it was gonna be fun.

" Speaking of her, " he whispered, " I've been meaning to ask... "

His red eyes met her brown ones, their faces so close that he could feel her breathing on his chin. Her cheeks were still warm from her earlier embarrassment while she simply fixed him, waiting for him to finish his question. Anticipating how she would react, he couldn't help the mischievous gleam in his eyes and the huge grin that spread on his lips, revealing his canines:

" Did you use the tongue? "

His answer came as a book being violently slammed against his chest, the young woman already leaving in a huff while he fought to breath through his laughter. His satisfied grin was still there, a few hours later, when he started raiding the thieves's camp.

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> thank you for all the reviews and favorites it's like maple syrup on my pancakes... oh great now I'm craving pancakes :O


	7. Some sweet action

**Author's notes:** Am I on time? yay!

still don't own Fairy Tail... *sigh*

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**#7 Some sweet action**

The quill gracefully danced in a series of elegant strokes, the magical ink leaving beautiful yet sophisticated marks in the shape of words and sentences that could only be appreciated by those with enough knowledge of magical calligraphy. It was an art that a certain blue-haired mage from Fairy Tail had mastered, the young woman in question smiling at the final line she added to her masterpiece before putting her quill down, letting her eyes roam over her work to spot any mistakes. She nodded in satisfaction when she saw none.

After carefully putting her work away, Levy got up from the worn-out little chair in front of her desk and stretched all the way to the tip of her fingers, earning herself a few cracks and snaps from her tired joints and muscles. Time had flown by much faster than she had expected, something that happened quite often when she became engrossed in something she liked.

The bluenette rubbed the back of her neck tiredly, wondering what she could do now that her work was done. She knew that her dear Lu-chan was off with her usual team and Gazille wasn't back from his thieves hunting job from the previous day. Not that this particular fact saddened her, she still felt ressentful from his earlier teasing and she wasn't in any hurry to experience it again.

Even if it was true that, before the S-class Exam, she hadn't had a lot of interaction with the iron dragonslayer, she never would have expected him to have such a teasing personality. Yes, he would be prone to pick up fights with the other guys and even the occasional quirk that would make him go on stage and sing ( to everyone else's horror ) but never she had seen him being this _playful_ with others. She couldn't help wondering if he only acted like this with her because of their _situation_ or if it was how he truly was, behind his gruff and indifferent facade. She made a mental note to ask Pantherlily about it.

The bluenette glanced at her open window that let a gentle breeze come in the room, a breeze that wasn't quite cool enough to be considered refreshing. She could easily predict that, way before noon, the temperature would rise high enough to make everyone melt and seek a way to fight the heat. Since she had some free time before she expected Jet and Droy to come pick her up to go to the pool, she decided to go enjoy a bath.

Levy found the dormitory's bathroom deserted when she came in with her arms full of spare clothes and toiletries. It did not surprise her considering the time of the day but she made a disappointed pout, thinking that she wouldn't have minded to have some company. She took off her clothes, tied her hair in a bun and sank her petite body in the warm water, enjoying the tickling sensation of her body growing warmer. In no time, she felt the tension in her sore muscles disappear like a bad dream, the sensation so good that a long contented sigh escaped her lips. She leaned against the edge of the bath before closing her eyes, willing her mind to empty itself from all those stressful thoughts she had accumulated lately.

In spite of her efforts, the bluenette's mind couldn't help wandering back to her most obvious source of stress which was shaped like a certain black-haired dragonslayer. Or, more precisely, to the strange relationship they had for the past days. She couldn't really find the right word to describe it. She knew she would be lying if she said it was a real hell because, for most of the time, Gazille had acted much nicer than she had expected, showing patience and understanding as well. However, there was also those time, like yesterday, when he could prove himself to be a real bully. He had obviously enjoyed making fun of her, not minding at all if it made her uneasy or embarrassed. She swore her cheeks were still warm when night had come, many hours after his stupid interrogation.

The most frustrating in this was that she hadn't been able to fight the blushing or the stuttering: no matter how much she had wanted to keep a cool head, she had found herself unable to resist his taunts. If it had been anyone else, she was sure that she could have shrugged it off or even turned the situation to her advantage. But no, not with Gazille, he always knew exactly where to strike to turn her into a embarrassed mess and she disliked it.

Perhaps she would _Pooh Pooh_ him a couple of time to remind him to behave. The thought brought a little smile on her lips.

Levy wasn't sure exactly how long she stayed in the water, in a semi-conscious state, when the door to the bathroom opened and a worried voice called out to her. The script mage felt so numb that Bisca, the one calling for her, almost had to come shake her to make her come back to Reality Land.

" Levy, Gazille is at the infirmary. "

The small fairy, who had barely registered the nervous tone of Bisca's voice, turned to face her friend, her brown eyes fixing the older woman's violet ones with a fuddled stare. She didn't really understand why Bisca would come get her because Gazille was at the infirmary. It was a secret for nobody that Gazille liked to fight and him getting hurt was nothing unusual. Heck, it happened so often, everyone simply aknowledged the furthest bed of that clinic to belong to him.

" ...Okay? "

In front of her lack of reaction, the sharpshooter gave her a insisting look:

" Levy, " she said slowly, " your _boyfriend_ is injured and resting at the infirmary. Shouldn't you go see him? "

The bluenette blinked but, this time, her brain was awaken enough to understand what her friend was saying and she gave a start when she realized that she was _supposed_ to react to such news.

" Oh! I-I mean, oh no! It's awful! T-thanks, Bisca, I'm coming right away. "

The green-haired woman raised a suspicious eyebrow but didn't say anything else. Levy mentally slapped herself for being so careless, a real girlfriend would have already jumped out of the bath and rushed to her lover's side, dressed or not. Okay, most probably dressed but still... She knew she would have to do something to erase all suspicions from her friend's mind.

* * *

><p>Levy was quite glad that Fairy Tail had come back to its previous building because if she had had to run all across Magnolia to get to the tiny tavern they had come back to, after the seven years gap, she would have died of exhaustion for sure. Just as she had predicted, the temperature had risen drastically in the little time she had been soaking in the bath and her trip to the guild had been a strenuous one. The young woman was panting heavily as she came in the guild hall, feeling beads of sweat covering all her body. The string-strapped top and the shorts she was wearing were sticking to her skin and the moisture in her sandals was quite uncomfortable.<p>

While shuffling her feet all the way to the guild's infirmary, the young woman worked on recovering her breath so she didn't end up passing out. She was barely in front of the door when a male voice echoed from the white room, generously growling and cursing at somebody about overreacting which was ironic considering it sounded like he was the one overreacting at the moment. Coming inside the infirmary, it was without surprise that she recognized Gazille, shirtless, sitting cross-legged on _his_ bed with a furious scowl on his face. He was glaring at Mirajane like he could make her burst into flames while the white-haired woman in question, standing in front of the bed, simply chuckled good-heartedly. On the bed, Pantherlily was standing with a mild amused expression on his face and a small smirk.

Levy's first thought, when she saw the dragonslayer, was that he looked quite fine. No apparent bruises, no scratches, no cuts and by judging the way he was rudely complaining to the barmaid, he didn't seem sick in any way neither. However, since Mirajane and Lily were there and Bisca was not far behind her, the small fairy didn't take any chances and decided to go all out.

" Gazille, are you alright? " she said in a worried voice, rushing to her _boyfriend'_s side in her best imitation of Juvia in front of an injured Gray, hands clasping over his left knee and tiny tears pooling at the corner of her eyes.

The man in question gave her a inquiring look, his studded eyebrow raised in a silent _WTF-are-you-doing_ question. His astonishment only lasted a second before he scowled again and turned the head to the other side:

" _Tch_, the hell are you here for, woman? I'm perfectly fine. "

" Is that so? What happened? " she cooed, looking at Mirajane while sneaking her arms around Gazille's left one. She felt him flinch at the touch but she didn't pull back.

Mirajane explained in a motherly tone with a hint of amusement:

" Actually, Levy, Gazille got seriously cut- "

" -It's not serious, Dammit! It's barely a scratch. "

" _Very_ seriously cut, " the barmaid insisted, her eyes growing wide in a silent scolding, " on his back and since Wendy hasn't come back to the guild yet, I ordered him to stay at the infirmary until she could heal him. If he was to go outside, who knows what could happen, his wound could become infected. "

The bluenette didn't really believe that Mirajane was _that_ worried about her _boyfriend'_s health, it sounded more like an excuse to keep him in the infirmary. Gazille growled that it was stupid, stating that he would NEVER be taken down by something so insignificant, while Levy bent slightly to see behind the dragonslayer where she indeed spotted two long gashes crossing the middle of his back to his shoulder blade, partly hidden under his thick mass of hair.

" Oh my goodness, it's awful! " the bluenette almost sobbed, a hand over her mouth. Climbing on the bed and hugging Gazille even harder, she fixed the white-haired woman with her best teary gaze:

" You did the right thing, Mirajane. Thank you so much! "

Said woman bowed slightly as she accepted Levy's gratefulness. The iron mage gave a start as he turned to face her, his eyes wide in disbelief:

" What the Hell? You can't be serious? "

But the script mage ignored him as she rubbed her cheek against his bicep, her eyes sprouting tiny waterfalls:

" I can't even imagine what could have happened to you if you had gone outside with such an horrible wound! "

" For fuck sake, I'm not- "

" Now, listen, Gazille! " Levy cut him short with an index right in front of his nose, her lower lip in a pout, " How dare you do such a thing? How could you be so reckless and put your life in danger like this? " The more she spoke, the more her eyes filled with tears. " Do you even have an idea of how awful it would be for me if something happened to you? Have you ever... considered... my feelings? "

With those words, the small fairy threw herself on the man's lap, burying her face in his chest, her fists at each side of her head while she cried about how heartless he could be. Gazille froze when her body crashed against his, watching her as if she had grown another head. He was so stunned by her behavior that he didn't even notice his face had become too warm to be normal. He hesitated for a second before he placed one hand on her back, awkwardly trying to soothe her.

" H-hey, it's... it's okay. Don't cry. "

" Aaawww... "

The black-haired man's head snapped back up when he heard the chorus made by the Barmaid, the Cowgirl and, surprisingly, Titania and Catgirl as well. The four women were all giving them mushy starry-eyed looks while Lily, who had moved to the foot of the bed, shook under a silent laugh at the scene. Gazille shot them all with his darkest glare, daring them to comment on their position or even on the blush that was NOT crossing his cheeks. Levy turned the head slightly to peek at the group, sniffing and 'fighting' the sobs that were shaking her. She snuggled back against Gazille's chest and their public broke into another concerto of _Aaww_ and _How cute._

Fortunately, before the iron mage decided to go berserk on the swooning females, Lily had the presence of mind to suggest that they gave the couple some privacy.

" I'll come back later, " he said before winking at his partner who only retorted with a _Tch_. The exceed flew behind the group that was reluctantly leaving the infirmary and, the moment the door closed, Gazille sighed and cursed under his breath.

" Damn, that was messed up. Was all that shit really necessary?"

Levy's blue head shot up in a blink of an eye, her brown eyes fixing his red ones with annoyance. No one could have guessed that she had been crying her eyes out mere seconds before.

" Do not insult my acting, " she whispered while crossing her arms before her frown morphed into a smug expression, " I think I did a pretty good show. "

" Yeah, by rubbing your sweat all over me. Couldn't you have taken a bath before coming or something? " he wrinkled his nose in disgust. She sneered.

" That was _exactly_ what I was doing before you decided to get yourself hurt. Believe me, I was perfectly fine with the idea to not seeing you so soon. "

While ranting, the small fairy had crawled off the dragonslayer's lap and moved on all four on the bed until she could sit in front of him. Unbeknown to her, she had given him a perfect view of her butt, in the process.

Gazille shrugged when his eyes went back to hers:

" It's that bitch that wouldn't let me leave, you can be sure I wouldn't be here, otherwise. " He smirked. " Are you still mad because I found out about your girlfriend? "

Her cheeks puffed slightly, making him laugh mockingly at her.

" I will NOT comment on that, " the young woman said through his stupid laughter. " You're so rude; and here I thought I could do something for you but since you would rather act like a jerk... "

The dragonslayer raised a curious eyebrow at her insinuation:

" What are you gonna do that, exactly? "

Levy smirked before sliding off the bed:

" What I COULD have done, you mean. You sure don't deserve my kindness so I'm not going to help you. You can rot here until Wendy comes back. " She propped her hands on the bed before flashing him with one her most brillant smile. " Have a nice day, Sweatheart! I hope you won't get too hot in this stuffy room. "

The script mage grinned like a madwoman when, the moment she had turned on her heels to leave, the black-haired man called out to her with what she was sure could be called a hint of a despair in the voice.

" Hey, HEY! Come on, Munchkin, wait! "

Without turning back, Levy waved good-bye which made Gazille curse, snarl and groan. She had barely walked two or three feet when she heard him jump off the bed and, a fraction of a second later, he grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. He was holding both of her arms in a strong yet gentle grip, just tight enough so she couldn't escape. The small fairy lifted her gaze to his face, glad to see his skin redder than normal which only made her grin grow even bigger.

He obviously didn't appreciate how pleased she looked because he scowled even deeper as he stared down at her in silence. It looked like he wanted to say something but it was apparently stuck in his throat, probably held back by his ego. She gladly took the opportunity to rub it in by asking sweetly:

" What is it, Gazille? "

He growled.

" You know what I want. "

" Actually, I'm not sure about that, you should say it out loud. "

His left eye twitched at her dumb act, she barely held back a snicker.

" Don't... make me beg, " his tone of voice dropped dangerously low but she knew that he wouldn't do anything. She was the one on top, now, no way she was going to submit to his wishes so soon, not before she had her fun.

" I'm afraid that I'm not a mind-reader, " Levy said, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice. " If you want something from me, you'll have to ask _nicely_. "

The bluenette didn't need to be a psychic to know that, right now, Gazille was doing everything possible to not chew her head off, only his grip on her arms had hardened slightly. He was fixing her with a death glare that would have sent her running, at any other times, but at the moment, it only made her want to burst out laughing. Her huge smile was linking both of her ears and one of her eyebrow was raised defiantly. After a moment spent starring at each other in a silent fight, the dragonslayer pushed a sigh.

" You're really enjoying this. "

It had been more a statement than a question but Levy still nodded, her ever-proud smile still stuck on her face. He muttered a couple of curses before dropping his arms at his side, sighing again:

" Fine. Do it."

" Hm? " She put a hand near her ear, " Sorry, Gazille, I didn't quite understand what you just said."

He growled:

" Please, Levy, help me. "

Saying those words seemed more arduous than a marathon for the man who looked about to choke, his cheeks tinted with a very light pink color. The young woman tilted the head to the right, wondering if she should tease him some more. It was awfully tempting, considering how he had made fun of her, over and over, in the past days. However, she gave up on the idea when her eyes met his again, she wasn't exactly sure what motivated her but she knew that she would feel bad if she tortured him any longer. Maybe she was too nice.

" Hm... Alright, Gazille. " The script mage said with a gentle smile, slowly walking forward with her hands on the dragonslayer's chest, making him back up until he bumped into the bed. " Since you're asking so nicely, I'll do it. "

She circled him until she was at his side, climbed on the bed where she made him sit and positioned herself behind him. The whole time, he kept an eye on her, an unreadable expression on his face. Maybe he was suspicious that she would try to tease him again or maybe he didn't understand why she had suddenly changed her mind. She decided to let him ponder on the question, this mental torture would be enough to keep him busy while she worked.

The bluenette grabbed the man's long mane and moved it over his right shoulder, exposing his back and the two long gashes running across it. It didn't look very deep and, even without Wendy's help, it would probably heal by itself in a few days. However she didn't doubt that Gazille could be in pain, at the moment, even if he would deny it.

" What happened? "

Her brown eyes shifted from his wounds to the garnet eye watching her from over his left shoulder.

" A pitchfork. The client was a farmer, he tried to help us take care of the thieves that were squatting his barn. "

Levy imagined the scene and had a little smile, the idea of Gazille being struck by his own client was unfortunately funny. Shaking her head to focus on her task, the small fairy shifted on her knees to be more comfortable and brought her hands over the first cut. She placed her fingers in an intricate manner and whispered the name of her spell. Immediately, the bluish letters of the word _Heal_ appeared over the wounded skin, sank inside and dispersed with a soft glow.

The black-haired man shivered and let out a soft grunt, the bluenette gave him a worried look:

" Did I hurt you? "

He cleared his throat:

" Nah, it tingled, that's all. "

" I'll have to do it a couple of time, " she said while eyeing the spot affected by her magic, the swelling diminishing before her very eyes. " Please, bear with it a little more. "

She repeated the process over and over, her spell having small but effective results on the wounds. The iron mage didn't react again at her ministration, quietly observing her work.

" Didn't know you could do healing spells, " he said after a moment of silence. Her eyes met his again before focusing back on the gashes, a little dejected smile on her lips.

" Oh, it's nothing big, really. Compared to what Wendy can do... "

" Still, " he cut through her self-depreciating speech, " it's useful. It's great to be able to do something like that. "

Levy tried to fight the blood rushing to her cheeks, pleased and embarrassed to receive a compliment from Gazille. It felt even more special because she knew he wasn't the type to say nice things to others on a regular basis. Well, except maybe to Lily.

A minute later, the young woman whispered the healing spell for the last time before she dropped her hands on her lap and let out a breath.

" There. It might be a little bit sore but... Did it help? "

The dragonslayer stood up, rolled his shoulders then he nodded in satisfaction:

" Yep, I feel much better. " He looked back at her and a crooked smile bloomed on his face. " Thanks, Munchkin. "

She rolled her eyes at the nickname but still smiled back because he had just thanked her and that, in itself, was quite a feat.

" You _better_ be thankful, I'm still thinking I should have let you suffer. "

She was jumping off the bed when he snorted and ruffled her hair which messed up the bun she had tied her hair into, making her growl in annoyance.

" I knew I should have _Pooh Pooh_-ed you, " she muttered under her breath.

He snickered:

" Gihi, you don't hate me enough to do that. "

" Of course not, " she retorted sarcastically, grabbing his shirt on the little chair near his bed and throwing it at him. He easily caught it and unfolded it in front of him to check the spot where the pitchfork had ripped the cloth. As they started making their way out of the room, he sneaked a finger through one of the holes:

" Could you do something about that, too? "

She shot him an indigned glare:

" What? After all this, you still want me to...? No, take care of _that_ yourself. "

" Come on, Squirt, you can't leave it like that, " he gestured to the torn shirt but she raised a dismissive hand.

" Not my problem, ask someone else. "

Gazille groaned in front of her stubborness.

" Ain't that what a good girlfriend would do? "

Levy, who had been about to reach for the door's handle, froze on the spot, turned around and pointed a finger at the dragonslayer, scoffing indignantly:

" If you believe that I'm going to start doing those kind of things, you're kidding yourself, Gazille Redfox. I am NOT that kind of woman. "

" Come on... "

" No! "

Her anger brought an amused smirk on his face and she scowled, understanding that he was making fun of her again.

" You're so easy to piss off, " he said through a grin but he suddenly became serious as he frowned and started sniffing the air. " What's that scent? "

Levy sniffed as well but she couldn't detect anything, she gave the man a suspicious look, thinking that he was trying to tease her again:

" You better not be talking about me... "

" Nah, " he looked more curious than anything, " it smells like... like blood. "

The dragonslayer fixed the door and quickly deduced that the scent was coming from the other side. When he opened it, the sight they stumbled upon made the bluenette give a start:

" Oh my... What happened here? "

* * *

><p><strong>15 minutes earlier<strong>

Lily closed the door to the infirmary, the soft click prompting a concerto of disappointed groans from the females he had brought out with him. The black exceed raised an amused eyebrow at the scene, the four women, with their heads low, looked like they had been forbidden to watch their favorite Lacrimavision show.

" You're no fun, Pantherlily, " whined Mirajane with a childish pout.

" Sorry but Gazille was about to make a scene, it was best to not provoke him any more. "

The white-haired woman's snort told him that she didn't really fear the iron mage. She was probably right but Lily suspected that if he hadn't intervened, his partner would have ended up with a genuine reason to be stuck in the infirmary.

" That was so cute, " said Bisca.

Lisanna giggled behind her hand:

" Hard to believe Gazille could be like that, eh? " _Considering he was faking it_, she added in her thoughts.

The black exceed took his leave while the women kept chatting about what they had witnessed, he knew that whatever they would talk about wouldn't be anything close to the truth.

" I wonder if Levy is still upset, " added the sharpshooter with a pensive frown. " At first, she had seemed pretty calm about it but she totally lost it when she saw him. "

" Gazille is at fault, here, " stated Erza, " he should have been more careful. He has to be more responsible since there is someone waiting for him back home, now. "

" Ah, but I'm sure that he's busy _comforting_ her, at the moment, " added Lisanna with a wink, making her friends blush slightly. The scarlet-haired woman gulped:

" Y-you think? "

" Or, maybe it's the other way around, " Mirajane whispered in a sing-song voice, her ear against the infirmary's door. A huge smile was stuck on her lips and there was a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Seeing her in a shameless act of eavesdropping, Erza, after barely a second of hesitation, quickly joined her while the youngest Strauss shook her head, a knowing smile on her lips. Bisca flushed at the sight but refused to do the same, standing where she was while giving nervous glances left and right. In spite of her reluctance at participating, it was obvious that she was curious. Lisanna asked:

" What are they saying, Mira-nee? "

" He asked her what she wanted to do to him... " answered the barmaid with a little smile. " She just told him that she wouldn't do anything... Oh! He just asked her to wait. "

" Is she... playing with him? " Erza wondered aloud, a curious look on her face.

At that moment, Cana passed in front of the group and asked them what they were doing. As soon as Lisanna told her who was in the infirmary, the drunk mage glued her ear against the door. The young white-haired mage shape-shifted into a cat and pricked up her ear as well.

_" What is it, Gazille? " _Levy's voice sounded teasing. There was a growl.

_" You know what I want. "_

_" Actually, I'm not sure about that, you should say it out loud. "_

_" Don't... make me beg. "_

The four women's eyebrows all went up in their hairlines at the same time, making Bisca ask them what it was all about.

" Come listen, you too, " said Cana with a smirk.

" I can't do that, I'm a married woman, " she said, balling her hands into fists. If her husband saw her eavesdropping on another couple, there would be embarrassing questions asked and she didn't want that.

" I think that Levy is making Gazille beg for... something, " said Lisanna. _What were they doing, in there?_

" Shh! "

_" I'm afraid that I'm not a mind-reader_, " Levy's voice said with amusement, " _if you want something from me, you'll have to ask nicely. "_

A sigh.

_" You're really enjoying this. "_

Mirajane and Erza shared a look, both of their minds drifting in the gutter. Cana looked about to burst out laughing while Lisanna was really confused. They heard another sigh then Gazille's voice said:

_" Fine. Do it."_

_" Hm? Sorry, Gazille, I didn't quite understand what you just said."_

The script mage's voice was teasing and there was a growl, probably coming from the dragonslayer:

_" Please, Levy, help me. "_

There was a collective gasp coming from the eavesdroppers, Gazille Redfox had just begged Levy!

" What? What did they say? "

The card mage was the one who answered the green-haired woman:

" Gazille is begging Levy for some sweet action, if you know what I mean, " she wiggled her eyebrows at the gun mage who blushed.

_" Hm... Alright, Gazille. Since you're asking so nicely, I'll do it. "_

" She's gonna do it! " Mirajane whispered, her eyes growing wide, her cheeks warm and a hand flying to her mouth. Erza was almost as red as her hair.

" Who... would have thought that Levy was... I mean, they only started dating, like, four days ago. "

" Hehe, our little Levy is not as innocent as we all think, " chuckled Cana before taking a sip from a flask that had come from seemingly nowhere.

There was a short moment of silence until Gazille seemingly grunted.

_" Did I hurt you? "_ It had been Levy's voice.

_" Nah, it tingled, that's all. "_

_" I'll have to do it a couple of time, Please, bear with it a little more. "_

" What is she doing to him? "

Cana rolled her eyes at Lisanna:

" Do you need a picture? "

Mirajane started fanning herself with her hand, a little drop of blood coming out of her nose.

" Oh my god... "

There was another pause where they heard nothing, it lasted for a few minutes. Then, Levy's voice said:

_" There. It might be a little bit sore but... Did it help? "_

_" Yep, I feel much better. Thanks, Munchkin. "_

_" You better be thankful, I'm still thinking I should have let you suffer. "_

The group of females were all silent, most of them with wide eyes and faces the same color as tomatoes. Bisca didn't even dare ask them what they heard anymore, just seeing them reacting like that made her imagine her own story.

_" Could you do something about that, too? "_

" Holy crap, " the card mage said, her own eyes growing wide in shock. Was he asking for more?

_" What? After all this, you still want me to...? No, take care of that yourself. "_

Erza was trying to say something but her voice had left her, she could only gape like a fish. Unbeknown to her, she was losing a lot of blood from her nose, making a puddle on the floor that mixed with Mirajane's own blood.

_" Come on, Squirt, you can't leave it like that. "_

_" Not my problem, ask someone else. "_

" Mira, Erza, shit, you're bleeding all over the place, " Cana barely kept her voice low enough to not be heard from the couple but the two women in question didn't even heard her, they were lost in a trance.

_" Ain't that what a good girlfriend would do? "_

Levy's voice was clearly audible, this time:

_" If you believe that I'm going to start doing those kind of things, you're kidding yourself, Gazille Redfox. I am NOT that kind of woman. "_

Lisanna changed back into a human and grabbed her sister who was falling backwards, about to lose consciousness. The barmaid didn't seem to be in pain, tho, she had a loop-sided grin linking both of her ears and dreamy eyes. Titania soon fell on her side as well, white as a sheet as she muttered about not so innocent girls. Cana and Bisca pulled her out of the way just in time to see the iron dragonslayer and the script mage coming out of the infirmary, both of them confused at first until Levy saw the huge puddle of blood at their feet and gave a start.

" Oh my... What happened here? "

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> meh hope you liked ^.^

*pointless babbling about manga* ast week chapter, i thought baccus was a funny guy with his drunk chuck-norris-ness and yet, this week i went like: ELFMAN RIP HIM A NEW ONE THAT BASTARD! hehe :P oh and Erza being pissed off at the destroyed sock thing o.0


	8. Beware of a book worm's wrath!

**Author's notes:** yay new chapter that I think will satisfy you, my dear lovely pooh pooh readers! i should probably warn you that there is some hint at yaoi and another pairing as well... i wont say more to not spoil it, plz dont freak out its mainly for fun ^^

btw this is still rated T and even tho i would love to, i do not own Fairy Tail because Mashima-sensei is the chosen One! *bows*

oh, another warning: I don't own the book mentioned in this chapter neither ^.^

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 8 Beware of the ( book ) worm's wrath!**

" Sooo, Levy-chaan? "

The script mage mentally rolled her eyes: when Lucy said her name like that, it meant she was about to ask her an embarrassing question. And she already knew what it would be about because, ever since she had started _dating_ Gazille, her couple was always the subject Lu-chan ( and everybody else, in fact ) would ask about. As if there wasn't anything else interesting about her beside that.

" Hmm? " the bluenette answered,not leaving her mint chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream from sight. She didn't even have to look at her left to know that her best friend had that mischievous smirk on her lips.

" How are things going with Gazille? "

Levy took the time to enjoy her spoonful of dessert before answering:

" They're fine. "

" Did anything... _interesting_ happen between you two? "

The small fairy raised an intrigued eyebrow, glancing at her friend who was wearing a little perverted smile. It was really an odd sight because Lu-chan was usually a bit shy about those things.

" What do you mean? "

The stellar mage leaned toward her and spoke in a low voice:

" I've heard about this morning, at the infirmary. "

Levy made a bland snort. _Everyone_ had heard about what had supposedly happened. The moment Gazille and her had exited the infirmary and saw Mirajane and Erza nosebleeding to death, some disturbing rumors had started spreading to the whole guild. In less time it could take for Gray to lose his shirt, everyone had been convinced that _something_ had happened between them.

Of course, it hadn't helped her case that when Bixlow had asked if it was true or not, the iron dragonslayer had simply answered with his trademark laugh and a huge smug grin. The bluenette could feel her cheeks warm up at the embarrassing memory, she could only imagine what kind of reputation she would have from now on.

" So something _did_ happen, " Lucy assumed when she saw her friend's red cheeks, matching them with a little blush of her own. Levy groaned with her spoon in her mouth before taking it out:

" It was nothing like what everybody think, Lu-chan. I just healed his injury. But, somehow, Mirajane and Erza thought that we were... well... you know... "

She couldn't put into words the image she had in mind: just the idea that she could have been _intimate_ with the iron dragonslayer made her shiver.

" Really? " The stellar mage had a hint of a pout on her lips. " Then, why did Gazille say you guys did it? "

" What? "

Levy's eyes were huge as she stared at her friend in a mix of shock and anger. Lucy sweat, putting her hands up defensively.

" I-I mean, that's what I've heard from Cana and Bixlow. "

The small fairy scoffed and rolled her eyes, visibly relaxing:

" Gazille never said that, Bixlow just concluded that we did because Gazille didn't deny it. Which makes me want to... "

She finished her sentence by making a throttling gesture that was so out of character for her that the blond mage chuckled. It was probably even more funny since both of them knew that Levy would never be able to choke her lover, her hands being too small for that.

" He wanted to show off in front of the other guys, that's all. "

" Well, I would prefer if he didn't ruin my reputation in the process, " Levy huffed, crossing her arms. " He teases me all the time, you know? Never gives me a break... "

Lucy let out a _Aww _as she dug in her ice cream:

" He's sooo into you, " she answered with a dreamy look à la Mirajane. In front of Levy's dubious stare, she insisted:

" It's true: he tease you to get your attention. He wants you to look at him and to keep thinking about him afterwards... Just like now. "

The little mage blinked before scoffing:

" That's so stupid. "

" That's apparently how guys work, " her friend shrugged. Levy thought that it was quite a weird way of thinking: annoying the one you liked? It made no sense.

And if she put herself in her actual context, where Gazille and her were just pretending, it made even less sense. She honestly didn't believe the iron dragonslayer liked her _like that_, the only other option would be that he did it to look more believable as a boyfriend. Or just for the sake of making fun of her. Because he was a sadist.

Yep, that was probably the reason: _sadist_.

* * *

><p>The two females fell into a comfortable silence, eating their treats while watching their guild mates in the middle of yet another guild brawl. They could easily recognize the usual fighters, like Elfman, Gray, Natsu and, unsurprisingly, Gazille who were all exchanging punches and kicks with obvious enthusiasm. The two dragonslayers were currently in a heated duel that threatened to scrap the floor and burn the nearby furniture, their mouths matching their fists as they insulted and cursed each others.<p>

Levy observed her _lover_ for a moment, thinking about what Lucy had said, earlier.

" You know Lu-chan, " she finally said with a pensive pout, " if you are right about that_ Annoying the one you like _theory, that could mean... that Gazille and Natsu got the hots for each other. "

The blond mage slowly turned the head toward the bluenette, eyes wide.

" I mean, " Levy went on, her face totally serious, " they are always picking fights, exchanging insults and playing tricks on each other... That could very well be pent-up sexual tension between them. "

Lucy blinked:

" Sexual... tension? "

Levy nodded, her friend pointed at the two dragonslayers:

" Gazille and Natsu? "

Levy nodded again. The stellar mage's eyes fixed the script mage's one for a long moment filled with silence ( if they didn't listen to the brawl, it could be considered silence ) until, unable to hold it any longer, the corners of Levy's mouth twitched upward, successfully betraying her thoughts and provoking Lucy to burst out laughing with her. Tears pooled at the corners of their eyes and their stomaches hurt.

" Could you... " Lucy tried to speak but needed a few tries to be successful, " just imagine THEM like... doing... "

The bluenette shook her head, wiping tears with a finger, a huge smile linking both of her ears in spite of her serious issue at breathing:

" Who... who do you think... would be on top? "

" Ah! " the blond snorted loudly, " they would spend so much time fighting for it... I'm not sure they would actually get any _action_ done. "

" Oh, that might explain why they fight so often, " the small fairy said as if she just had the idea of the century, a finger raised in a _Eureka _gesture. " They are fighting for the top... which build tension between them... "

" Which makes them fight even more! " the blond mage pursued, playing along. " It goes in a loop! "

" Exactly! We solved the mystery of why they are always at each other's throat: sexual frustration. "

They giggled at their crazy theory, oblivious to the strange looks they received from people passing by them. The males in question probably didn't hear them, in spite of their good hearing, or else, Levy was pretty sure that they would have rushed over their table to make them regret those words, wannabe girlfriend or not.

" Well, Levy-chan, " Lucy said when her breathing was back to normal, " now the real question is: are you gonna do something about it? "

Eyeing her friend's teasing smirk, the bluenette immediately scoffed, as if the mere idea was crazy:

" No way. "

" No? Never? "

Levy mentally winced: she realized that it had sounded like she never intended to _go further_ with Gazille. Which was true but wasn't something one would say about a real lover.

" Well, I mean, not anytime soon, " she added with a shaky smile. " We barely started dating, after all. "

Lucy smiled kindly:

" You're right. And you shouldn't let him pressure you, if he can't wait for you, he's not worth your time. "

The small fairy smiled back, those kind of words were more her best friend's style.

" And if he tries anything, just tell me and you'll see! " Lucy added, pumping a fist in the air, looking ready for battle. The bluenette gave her a dubious look even tho she smirked:

" You would take him on? "

" ... Nah, " the stellar mage dropped her arm, losing her smile for half a second before grinning. " I'd tell Erza, instead. "

Levy chuckled, shaking her head at the thought. Poor iron mage who wasn't even aware of what he had gotten himself into. At that moment, a few feet in front of them, Natsu flew over everyone's heads, having been thrown across the room by said iron dragonslayer, before crashing against the little wall near the stage. The fire mage was back on his feet and throwing himself back into the melee in no time.

" Thank you, Lu-chan, " the bluenette said after witnessing this not so unusual scene, " but I'm sure you won't have to. Gazille is behaving like a perfect gentleman. Well, if you don't count all the teasing, that is. "

Lucy obviously didn't find it as annoying as she did, she sighed dreamily before adding:

" As I said, I'm sure that's just his way to get your attention... Or, maybe... " the blond slowly said, looking at her best friend with eyes shining as if she just had a revelation. " Maybe that's his way _to tell you_ that he loves you. "

Levy raised an eyebrow, not sure to understand how her friend had gotten that idea. The young woman in question tried to make her understand her point of view:

" How often does he say I love you? "

_Huh, never?_ Not that she couldn't tell her that so she opted for the closest answer:

" Well... N-not often. "

Lucy didn't seem to mind her somewhat sad answer:

" Okay, and how often does he tease you? "

" Lu-chan... "

" Answer! "

The bluenette rolled her eyes:

" All the time and that's without counting the nicknames. "

The blond mage couldn't look prouder as she leaned back against her chair in a self-satisfied manner:

" There, you have it! Every time he tease you, it actually means: I love you. "

It was oh so tempting to reply _Yeah, riiight_ and even more unfortunate that she couldn't.

" Alright, if you say so, " the petite woman answered with a sigh, giving up.

" You don't believe it? "

" I more believe that you've been reading _Princess Bride_, lately. "

Lucy gave her a sheepish smile.

" Come on, admit that it's probably why he does it. "

The small fairy glanced at the iron dragonslayer who now had Gray in a headlock but being himself held in a headlock by Elfman. In spite of his position, he was still grinning his trademark sadistic smile and taunting everyone around him. She had to admit that he seemed to be having a lot of fun. When she thought about it in this perspective, Gazille's teasing seemed more likely to be his way of bonding with others.

But still, as far as she was concerned, it wouldn't be anytime soon that she would see Gazille as her Westley.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, the guild hall was crowded by mages that came to party for no better reason that they could, as it often happened. Everyone was having fun drinking, dancing and cheering the band playing on stage, with Mikuni on the drums, Freed playing electric guitar and Mickey and Kinana singing.<p>

Levy and Gazille were sitting together at a table not too far from the stage, the dragonslayer's left arm around the small fairy's waist while she snuggled against him. Both of them would have normally hung with their friends but all of them had suddenly got something very urgent to do and disappeared in the crowd, leaving them by themselves. It didn't take a genius to guess that a certain barmaid had a say in this.

" This isn't even subtle, " said Levy in a gentle voice that contrasted with her actual feeling, the man hummed in agreement. Even tho they were kinda stuck playing antisocial lovers, they both acted as if they didn't mind. To everyone else, it looked like they were cuddling and whispering sweet nothings while, actually, they were busy complaining about Mirajane and her meddling habits.

" Dunno what's she's expecting to see by keeping us by ourselves. "

" Maybe she's hoping that another _something_ will happen, just like this morning... "

The dragonslayer chuckled and glanced down to met her gaze, seeing her bottom lip stuck in a hint of a pout. He could easily guess that she wasn't pleased with that morning's event.

" Why are you making such a face? "

" I would have gladly preferred you didn't make everyone believe that we did... whatever we supposedly did. "

" I never said anything to confirm it. It ain't my problem if they all got their minds in the gutter. "

Levy grumbled, knowing that he was right, but still thinking that he should have denied it.

" Still, " she eventually added, " It's my reputation that is at stake, here. Last thing I want is my nakamas thinking that I'm such an... easy girl. "

Gazille snorted loudly which made the small fairy frown. Was he making fun of her? It was better not be the case, that subject wasn't something to laugh at.

" You? Gihi, as if that was even possible. "

His answer displeased her. She pulled back from her position against his shoulder to look at him straight in the eyes:

" What's that supposed to mean? "

He only raised an eyebrow, clearly amused:

" There's no way _you_ could ever be mistaken for a wench. "

She felt insulted, now. What did he mean by insisting on the _you_? Was he saying she wasn't looking female enough? She could feel anger slowly taking over her:

" How come? "

" Well, just look at you, " he gestured to her whole body with one finger. " You'll never fit the description. "

That was the last straw.

" Ah! I don't fit the description? " she asked in disbelief, fighting against her own voice to keep it low. " I suppose that if I was shaped like Lucy or Erza, that would be better, right? "

" What? "

She shot him a dark look, growling:

" I'm perfectly aware that I'm too plain and flat to be considered sexy- "

" I didn't say that, " he said to justify himself but she wasn't listening.

" And I'm probably not even close to what you consider pretty- "

" The fuck are you talking about? "

" But that doesn't mean you can mock my femininity, you big baka! "

A good thing that the music was loud and most of their guild mates were already too drunk to care because Levy's outburst would have gotten everyone's attention if it hadn't been the case. Gazille stared at the bluenette recovering her breath after her tirade, her body crisp, her hands balled into fists at her side and her eyes throwing daggers at him. He couldn't figure out when/how exactly she had gotten into her head that he was belittling her and even less why she was seemingly angry at the fact that she wasn't wench material.

Without warning, the dragonslayer flicked the small fairy on the forehead, making her give an indignant shout and slap a hand on the bruised spot, her eyes widening in outrage:

" Ow! You just flicked me! What gives? "

The piercing-faced man didn't look fazed at all by the gesture he had just done or even by the apparent anger of the petite woman. He answered her with a no-nonsense tone:

" That's what you get for sprouting shit like that. "

" You insult me and then, you dare hit me because I'm saying shit? Jerk! " Levy whispered harshly, quickly turning away, but before she could try to leave, Gazille grabbed her arm, pulled her toward him, used his other arm to pick her up from her seat and plopped her right on his lap. He had cradled her small body in the crook of his right arm while the fingers of his left hand caught her chin with just enough force so she couldn't turn the head to avoid his eyes:

" Oi, you'll shut up and listen to me, now. "

The tone of his voice sounded slightly dangerous, as if he was threatening to restrain her if she seriously tried to escape. In spite of the harshness of his words, she failed to see any animosity in his eyes, there was only a fiery gleam of honesty that was about to set her cheeks on fire.

" Get this into your little head: you will _never_ be considered a slut, a wench or even someone easy, " he slowly said with conviction, " because you're a smart woman who doesn't rely on her look to get things in life, because you've earned everything you have and you're strong enough to get over even the worst shit. And you can be sure that no one here, in Fairy Tail, will accept that you, or any of the other women, get called those names. If there's even one asshole, in guild or not, that dare to say shit like that out loud, I'll be the first to tear him a new one. And YOU, " he brought his face even closer to be sure that his message would get across, " I fucking forbid you to even think so lowly of yourself like that, ever again. Is that clear? "

Levy was so stunned by Gazille's scolding that she couldn't find her voice. She could only gape at him like a fish, her face and neck the same color than a firetruck and her heart beating like crazy in her chest. Any protest, any witty retort she could have come up with were gone with her breath, in front of his resolve-filled aura.

" And just so you know... "

The small fairy's eyes met his garnet ones again, silently prompting him to continue.

" You're far from being plain. "

She didn't have time to register what he had just said because, as soon as the words left his mouth, he brought his lips against hers, stunning her yet again, but for a totally different reason. It wasn't a chaste kiss nor what she could call sweet, it was demanding, dominating and... thrilling. His mouth danced with hers as if they had been doing this for years, bringing her even closer with the arm under her. The hand who had been holding her chin moved to cup the base of her neck, his thumb stroking her ear on the way. Before she even realized that she was kissing him back, her hands grabbed his shirt, the spot behind her knees started tingling: if she had been standing, she would have buckled.

He released her not long after, panting in chorus with her as he fixed her with his stern stare, daring her to reply something. Of course, she didn't, her mind was too busy struggling to come back to an operational mode.

There was one question that kept echoing in her head: what had just happened?

Before she could ponder on the question, Gazille turned the head to the left where Levy, following his gaze, noticed that some of their friends had witnessed the kiss. Among the crowd of party goers, at a little table, sat a flushed Juvia who was cupping her cheeks and a certain ice mage who adverted his eyes when the small fairy's met with them. Beside them, Natsu was eating like a pig, seemingly oblivious to them, Lucy was giving them a knowing look from the corner of the eye and a little smirk and, finally, Lisanna was watching them shamelessly with a huge grin and a wink.

Levy gave a little start at Lisanna's teasing gesture and instinctively buried her head in the crook of the iron dragonslayer's neck, blushing madly, yet again. She felt awfully exposed, now that she knew that everyone had seen them, and slightly stupid, too. The reason Gazille had taken her lips like that, seemingly out of the blue, was probably because he had heard or seen them watching their exchange and wanted to save face. It was so obvious, she was scolding herself for not thinking about it earlier.

While she was trying to recover from her shock, Gazille simply leaned back against his chair, keeping the small fairy against him with his right arm around her waist. There was a huge _gazille-ish_ grin on his face as he watched the band on stage, looking as proud as if he had just won a fight against Natsu.

" Are you getting over it? " he asked her after a short moment, obviously amused by how dumbstruck she still looked. He chuckled soon after when she failed to answer him. " What? Speechless again? Gihi, I'm getting good at that. "

Levy forced herself to retort something, she wouldn't let him tease her so easily:

" You could have warned me you were about to do something like that... "

His red eyes met her brown ones, a gleam of mischief in them:

" What? And miss this priceless look on your face? No way. "

She huffed, her cheeks slightly puffed.

" I'll get back at you for this. "

" Looking forward to it, Munchkin. "

* * *

><p>The party went on for many hours, never decreasing in intensity. The main difference with before was that most mages were in serious state of inebriation, some even sleeping here and there with goofy smiles on their lips.<p>

The _couple_ had been right about suspecting Mirajane to have tried to set them up: not too long after the kiss, their friends had all gradually came to hang out with them, as if everything was normal. Levy had spent most of her time chatting with Lucy who had been unable to fight the huge smile linking both of her ears. To the small fairy's displeasure, the blond mage hadn't failed to ask her if Gazille had been teasing her before they kissed.

The iron dragonslayer in question was currently participating in a friendly arm-wrestling contest with the other guys, _friendly_ here meaning that they all tried to break the other's hand in the process, _as real men would_, to quote Elfman. The black-haired man had more wins than losses so far and wasn't about to stop any time soon, especially since there was money involved.

Eventually, the more well-behaved members started leaving for the night and that included the stellar mage who hugged her best friend.

" Goodnight, Levy-chan, try to get some sleep, will you? "

The bluenette gave her a half-hearted glare, not missing the hidden message behind those words, before smiling back and waving her good bye. She was planning to call it a night herself and looked around to spot her teammates. She quickly found them sleeping near the stage and decided to leave them there. She knew that there would be a lot of other people that would be spending the night in the guild as well.

On her way to the exit, a little spot of white caught Levy's attention. Sprawled over a little table in one corner, near the bar, a young white-haired mage had seemingly passed out. Lisanna's cheeks were red from abuse of alcohol and there was also a little puddle of drool under her face but she seemed quite fine, in spite of that. Levy raised her head to look around, trying to spot Lisanna's brother or sister, but instead saw Cana wobbling nearby, on her way out. The drunk mage waved at the bluenette with a huge grin on her face:

" Ah, don' worry about Lis, Levy, I jusht had a little drinkin' game with her. Ts'okay, Mira shaid she would pick her up later. "

" Great, thanks, Cana, " Levy said before bringing her gaze back to the youngest Strauss, feeling relieved that the white-haired mage wouldn't be by herself for long. Even tho they were in the guild, she would have felt bad if something would have happened to her friend while she was in such a weakened state.

Vulnerable. Defenseless.

The bluenette blinked and slowly raised an eyebrow at the thought...

It was at this precise moment that Levy McGarden discovered her very own sadistic streak.

* * *

><p>The first thing Lisanna noticed when she woke up was that her bed was warm. Very very warm. It felt so good that she didn't feel like opening her eyes yet even tho she knew the sun was already up. She remembered vaguely that she had had a bit too much to drink at the party and, for that reason, it wouldn't be wise to rush herself. It was a blessing that she was quite tolerant to alcohol: not that she could drink a lot, quite the contrary, but she rarely ever got hungover, the day after. Mira-nee rarely drank so she had no idea if she was more resistant than her but she knew that Elf-nii-san was weaker than her, in that field.<p>

After trying to fall asleep again and failing, the white-haired youth groaned and slowly opened her eyelids, keeping them into slits since there was a lot of light. The first thing she saw brought a frown on her cute face: her bedroom never seemed to look that big. And she was pretty sure that her bed was usually softer than that. Now that she was getting more aware of her surrounding and her senses, she noticed that her legs were bent and her arms stretched over her head, a position she would never normally fall asleep in, not even in cat form. Blinking lazily, the young woman tried to rise from her strange position only to realize that she couldn't.

She was tied face down to her bed. Something that felt like a rope was keeping her against her mattress by the waist and the wrists. She struggled against the bindings but quickly stopped when her bed started moving in retaliation and a long groan escaped from it.

That was when Lisanna realized that she hadn't been sleeping in her bed but on _someone_. Someone she was tied to.

The white-haired woman lifted her head to see who was playing mattress for her but when she did, she almost wished she hadn't. A blush came over her face at the sight of a man she knew very well laying under her and especially at the embarrassing position they were in: she was laying face down on his chest, her arms tied behind his neck while his were bound behind her back, as if he was hugging her waist.

" How did this happen? " Lisanna cried to herself in a almost silent voice, seriously hoping he wouldn't wake up. She would probably die of embarrassment if he did, especially since she used to have a crush on him. Okay, she still did but only a tiny tiny bit... which was not helping at all!

The male groaned again and started moving a bit, Lisanna stared back at his sleeping face with wide eyes full of desperate hope:

" Please, don't wake up. Please, don't wake up. Please, don't- "

A pair of black eyes opened up, blinked a couple of time before they met with the take-over mage's blue ones. Their owner gave a curious look at the woman laying on top of him, obviously wondering what was going on.

" Lisanna? What are you doing here? Did you fall asleep on me, last night? "

She had thought she would have died of embarrassment if he woke up, right? Well, it wasn't exactly the case: apparently, it was more a slow and painfully humiliating torture that awaited her.

* * *

><p>The desperate cries of the youngest Strauss floated all the way to the second floor where, leaning comfortably on the handrail, Gazille and Levy were admiring the view below them. Both of them were sporting a devilish smirk as they watched Lisanna struggling against the runed cloth that was keeping her tied to Fairy Tail's very own fire dragonslayer. It was the same cloth the take-over mage had used to bind them, a few days ago, and that Levy had skillfully modified in preparation for this very day where they would have their vengeance.<p>

" Aaww, look at that, she's blushing, " cooed the script mage as if talking about a baby's first steps.

Natsu was completely awake now and, after sitting up, had started pulling on the binding, expecting his strength to set them free. Of course, it didn't work.

" How much you bet he'll use his fire next? " asked the black-haired man with a grin.

" I won't bet on that, it's obvious what he will do, " she replied with a giggle.

Just as expected, the fire mage shouted with enthusiasm that he was going to burn it off, to which Lisanna shrieked in horror, begging him to not do it. But Natsu didn't listen and quickly engulfed his hands in fire. Gazille frowned and let out a curse.

" Ugh, that dumbass, he's doing it for real. She's gonna crisp. "

" It's okay, I placed a fire-proof spell that protect those bound in the cloth. I suspected that Natsu would use his magic. "

When the fire went out, the white-haired mage looked like she already had one foot in her grave while the fire mage just struggled against his ties again, confused that his magic hadn't worked.

" _Tch_, still, he's an idiot. "

That was exactly what Lisanna started yelling in the man's ears. At least, Natsu was kind enough to apologize even if he still didn't look as mortified as the young woman. Their cries and shouts started waking up the other people in the guild hall who all tried to see what was the commotion about. Near the bar, Mirajane had just appeared but she had a knowing smile on her lips and didn't seem to be in any hurry to help her little sister. The barmaid knew what was going on since she had seen Levy and Gazille, the night before, as they were pulling the prank on her sibling. She probably had thought it was a cute idea because she had only smiled before leaving them to their mischiefs.

" Seems like Lisanna is looking for us, " stated the bluenette. The take-over mage was indeed trying to find someone in the crowd of onlookers, her face showing a bit of fear in spite of the fierce blush crossing her cheeks. It was clear that she knew who had placed her in that position.

Gazille let out a laugh that made one bloom in Levy's throat as well. It really was entertaining.

" Oh, the best part is coming... " said the small fairy as she bent the head over the handrail to have a better view.

Everyone in the guild hall was confused about what they saw and even tho some of them tried to help out the _couple_, they were all smiling at the sight, finding it quite funny and cute. At that moment, Lisanna begged her sister to help her. The moment the words _Please, get me out of this_ escaped her mouth, the runes started appearing over their heads, stating the two options they had to break free.

Just like the time Gazille and Levy had been tied up, the first option asked that one hundred questions be answered. But the second option, contrary to then, asked that the two mages kiss on the lips _for a full minute_.

The partners in crime both snickered at the shouts Natsu and Lisanna gave out when they read the second option. Even if it surprised both of them, only Lisanna was blushing madly, Natsu only looked mildly interested.

_" I suppose that we don't have a choice, " said the fire mage._

_" What? No, no, no, we answer the questions! " squeaked the take-over mage that tried to scout away from the man. Which, of course, didn't work._

_" Huh? But there's like one hundred of them. "_

_" It's okay, they're fake! We can just say anything and it'll be fine! "_

_The white-haired woman raised her eyes to the first question and read it out loud:_

_" In what year was Magnolia founded? Whatever! "_

_Everyone blinked as they all watched the first question hover over the mages, all of them waiting to see a confirmation that Lisanna's answer had been correct. However, they were all shocked to see a big red X pop over the question with a buzzing sound._

_" Huh? HUH? No! It's impossible! "_

_" Come on, Lisanna, it wasn't the right answer, you didn't even say a date... " said Natsu as if talking to an idiot._

_The young woman sweat as she tried again to answer but the big red X just kept coming back, buzzing again and again._

_" Oh, you've got to be kidding me? "_

_" This is a pain in the ass, let's just kiss. "_

_" Nooo! Where is Freed? "_

_" I think he left for a job, " answered Mirajane with a compassionate smile. " I'm afraid you guys won't have a choice... "_

On the second floor, the script mage giggled at the dumbstruck expression of the young woman.

" No. Way, " Gazille said with astonishment. " You set them with the real answers? "

Levy nodded to the iron dragonslayer who was looking at her as if she was half-crazy, half-awesome.

" You fucking took the time to search for all the right answers? The whole one hundred of them? "

" Nah, " the small fairy admitted with a little shrug, " just the twenty first ones. But we both know that she won't try to answer them, anyway. "

Gazille raised an eyebrow as he assessed the woman at his side. She looked like the perfect picture of innocence and yet, he knew that she was far from being that.

" You're more wicked than you look, " he told her after a little pause.

She gave him a smug look, a cute yet mischievous smile on her lips:

" Is it a bad thing? "

" Nah, " he replied with a approving grin, " that's pretty cool. "

" Thank you. "

They fell into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed the show below them, both of them snickering when someone in the crowd suggested that they should ask Levy to free the two mages.

* * *

><p><strong>End notes: <strong>hahaha I hope you liked it :3 reviewing is manly, don't hesitate :D

pointless babbling about latest manga : yay Elfman beat Baccus! ha ha! and Quatro Puppies! *snickers*

as for the anime: who here fangasmed at episode 125? and wow, this new arc really sounds like a Edolas remake :O


	9. Beach party!

**Author's notes:** Hi everybody! I hope you'll like this chapter it is my longest so far: 8007 words! even I am amazed o.0

just a thing beforehand: some people had asked me if I intended to add some mature content in this story and even tho it wasn't my first intention, I wouldn't mind changing my plans to include some. However, I would like to know what you guys think, first. So please let me know if I should take the plunge.

As usual: I, pikinanouart, **do not own** Fairy Tail nor it's characters and other things related and I also do not own Hiro Mashima. I own my very fertile imagination :3

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 9 Beach party**

Another beautiful day had begun under a bright hot sun and a perfect blue sky. It was the kind of day that no one sane would want to spend anywhere else than near a pool, a lake or the sea. And so, it was without surprise that, as early as ten in the morning, a nameless beautiful beach was invaded by the rowdy guild Fairy Tail.

In no time, the whole place was bursting with activity. Beach umbrellas were stuck in the sand, a huge white tent was raised, a couple of picnic tables were set under with a mini-bar and a huge wood-fueled gril was built. While the males were stuck putting everything in place, the girls were already jumping in the water or playing in the sand. Even tho Natsu had complained that it wasn't fair, most of the other males didn't voice any objection. First, because Erza and Master Makarov were, by their mere presence, clearly making them understand that they would be punished if they dared slack off and second, because the faster the female fairies would go play, the faster they were going to strip down to their swimsuits.

" My, my, " had said Mirajane with a chuckle when she had witnessed a couple of her male nakamas nosebleeding, " maybe we should have planned for a medical tent as well. "

There wasn't any other incident beside this quite common scene so everyone finished the preparation and went to enjoy themselves. The party had started less than an hour ago and everyone was having fun, so far.

Or almost everyone.

" Come on, don't make that face. "

The ruby-eyed man glanced at his left toward the source of the voice: Pantherlily was giving him a knowing smile, his black eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Both of them were standing near the few picnic tables that weren't under the tent. Like all the others, they were wearing their swimsuits.

" You're supposed to have fun, today, " added the exceed, gesturing to the crowd of mages who were partying. A group was playing volleyball, another was swimming while a third one was near the gril, enjoying a drink and chatting. A few were sunbathing as well.

" I would have had more fun if we had gone on that job, instead, " complained the dragonslayer, his arms crossed over his chest.

" We'll go tomorrow, we couldn't miss this. "

He pointed at his partner:

" _You_ couldn't miss this, I don't give a shit. "

The black cat shook his head with a amused smile. Sometimes, his dragonslayer could be a real kid.

Gazille would have gladly kept complaining like a Grinch but he was cut short by the sight of the script mage who was coming their way. She was wearing a light green bikini adorned with metal beads with a butterflies-printed bandanna of a matching color.

" How you guys doing? " Levy asked with a bright smile.

" Never been better, " muttered Gazille, his scowl contradicting his words. The bluenette giggled along with Lily.

" Can you help me put sun cream on my back? She asked the tall man without detour while showing the white bottle she was holding. He frowned.

" Why me? "

" Because, " Levy gave him an insisting look, " Lu-chan refused to do it for me, she said it was _your_ job as a boyfriend so... "

He rolled his eyes:

" Sounds like a cheap excuse, if you ask me. "

She shrugged:

" I agree but, excuse or not, I still need help. " The small fairy clasped her hands around the bottle as if she was praying. " Please? "

Gazille didn't even miss a beat:

" Nope. "

" _Tch_, who's cheap, now? " Levy puffed her cheeks slightly in mock frustration ( not doubt she had expected his answer ) before turning to the black cat and giving him a sweet smile. " Pantherlilyyy, would you be so kind and help me? I'll make you kiwi. "

Lily's smile grew at the prospect of eating his favorite food:

" With pleasure, Levy. "

The bluenette cheered with a cute _Yay!_ and offered him the bottle however, before the exceed could grab it, Gazille quickly snatched it from her hand with a displeased groan.

" _Fine_, turn around. "

She complied without a word, sharing a victorious smile with the black cat. She pulled her hair up to give the dragonslayer better access to the back of her neck. The man opened the bottle and poured the cream in his hand, wrinkling his nose at the strong scent or _vanilla-coco-something_. He quickly executed himself, figuring that the faster he was done, the faster he could wash it off his hands.

While Gazille was applying the cream on her upper back with the tips of his fingers, as if afraid to touch her or the substance itself, Levy made small talk with Lily, not caring about her _lover'_s issue.

" Why are you guys all by yourselves? You should join the fun. "

" Ah, well, Gazille would have preferred to go on a job instead of coming here, " Lily explained.

" With this heat? Woah, you're a masochist, " she said as she glanced over her shoulder at the dragonslayer in question who only raised an annoyed eyebrow.

" I don't like beaches much. "

" Really? Meh, it's not that surprising. After all, I can't imagine you building sand castles or working on your tan. "

He heard the grin in her voice as she probably imagined him sunbathing and he pocked her lightly in retaliation.

" Keep it up and I won't help you. "

" Okay, okay, " Levy sighed as she closed her eyes for a short moment, enjoying the rubbing on her back that made her want to hum in contentment. Gazille's touches were far more gentle than she had ever expected them to be and if she wasn't careful, she knew she could doze off because of them.

" You know, " she said while pointing at her left, " that way, you can find a trail that leads through the cliffs surrounding the sea. There's a couple of small caves that are worth seeing. "

" Yeah, maybe I'll check them out, " he replied as he grabbed the bottle and passed it over the young woman's shoulder but she shook her head, asking that he did her lower back as well.

" _Tch_, aren't ya demanding, dammit, " he growled but still did as he was told, prompting Levy to smile at him sweetly. He had the bad impression that she was enjoying herself to his expense. She didn't add anything else while he worked beside a _Solid Script: Kiwi_ for Lily.

The moment he was done, he thrust the bottle in her hand which made her turn around to face him, smiling gratefully.

" Thank you, Gazille. Now, do you want me to do your back? "

" No way, that stuff reeks. Beside, I don't need it. "

The bluenette's eyebrows went high on her forehead:

" What? Don't tell me you intend on spending the whole day without protection? You'll get a sunburn. "

The dragonslayer scoffed, obviously thinking that the idea was laughable, while crossing his arms, an arrogant expression on his face:

" I don't have _delicate_ skin like yours, Munchkin, it doesn't need to be _protected_ from the freaking sun. "

Levy grimaced, sharing a worried look with the black cat, but only ended up shrugging:

" Alright, as you wish, but don't come crying, tomorrow. "

Gazille sneered at her, clearly stating that there was no fucking way he was gonna cry. The young woman bit back a chuckle to not anger him more than he already was, she raised herself on her tiptoes, pulled his head down with her free hand before pecking him on the cheek.

" Whatever, thanks again. "

She spun on her toes and skipped away to join the others but not before she made the word _Iron_ appear in front of the dragonslayer. The man in question grumbled at her retreating back about how bothersome this whole shit was even tho he wolfed down his treat in no time.

* * *

><p>Levy made her way back to the small group of girls that were setting up a net to play beach volley: namely Lucy, Bisca and Erza. When they noticed that she was back, they all faced her, their eyes shining with barely restrained excitement as they asked in one united voice:<p>

" So? "

The bluenette gave a start at the chorus and hesitantly smiled:

" Uh, he accepted to cream my back? "

The blond mage made an exasperate gesture:

" No! What did he say about your new bikini? "

" He... didn't say a thing. "

All at the same time, their eyes bulged because of the shock. Levy had expected this. Or a tantrum.

" He probably didn't even notice, " the bluenette added with a half-smile. Her friends all slumped their shoulders.

" He. Didn't. Even. Notice? " muttered Lucy. " Even tho we spent the whole afternoon, yesterday, choosing it, just for today? "

Levy fought back a groan at the memory. The previous day, the girls plus Lucky, Lisanna and Juvia had literally kidnapped her to go shopping for a new swimsuit. She had tried to convince them that she didn't need to since she already owned a very nice one but it hadn't deterred them:

_" This will be the first time he sees you in a swimsuit ever since you guys started dating, you MUST absolutely have a bikini that will leave him speechless and nose-bleeding to death! "_

So they had spent the whole afternoon making her change into countless swimsuits, sometime barely letting her finish clasping the straps before stripping her naked again. Never in her life had she been groped so much, she had felt like a rag doll the whole time. When they ( yes, _they_, not her ) had finally agreed on the light green bikini she was currently wearing, she had slumped on the floor in exhaustion and slept off the rest of the day.

" I told you guys it wouldn't make a difference, " the script mage said as she put her sunscreen bottle back in her bag. She had known that Gazille wouldn't care about that new swimsuit: he had told her, the night of their first date, that he thought women always gave themselves too much trouble to impress guys. That was without mentioning the fact they weren't really in love to begin with. But the girls hadn't listened to her.

" Maybe green wasn't a good idea, " Bisca wondered aloud, cupping her chin in a pensive manner, " even tho it suits you so well. And those little metallic beads, I was so sure he would like them. "

" The white one would have been better, " said Lu-chan, " the one with the kitty ears. Gazille likes cats, no? "

" You can't swim with a white bikini. "

" Or maybe the pink one? It was cute. "

" Too cute, the goal was to make her look more mature, we should have picked the lacy black one with the leather straps and the g-string! " Erza said with conviction even tho her face was growing hotter.

" NO! " Levy shouted, putting her hands up to stop them while her face reddened at an alarming pace, " P-please, guys, not again. I still have a headache from yesterday's conversation. This one is fine, Gazille is just not the type of guy that cares about what I wear. "

" Yeah, " a teasing voice belonging to a certain card mage said from behind Levy, " he's more interested in what she _doesn't_ wear. "

The four women all blushed crimson ( in some cases, again ) while Cana burst out laughing. At the brunette's side stood Lisanna and Juvia, the take-over mage was looking amused while the water mage's cheeks were tinted with pink.

" No-thing happened, that day, Cana, " the bluenette said with a frown, placing her fists on her hips, " it's you guys who made it all up because you are perverted. "

" Uh-huh, don't be like that, Levy, we don't judge you, " Cana winked. The poor small fairy growled, trying her best to recover some dignity, but per chance, Lisanna came to her rescue:

" Cut her some slack, if she says nothing happened then nothing happened. " The white-haired woman turned to the bluenette. " So? Did he like your new swimsuit? "

" Dunno, he didn't say anything. "

" He's probably too proud to say it out loud, " said Lisanna with a wave of the hand and a subtle wink to the script mage. Ever since their revenge, the youngest Strauss had resumed being Levy and Gazille's accomplice, stating she had learned her lesson. " I'm pretty sure you would have come with a bikini made of iron, he would have reacted the same. "

Iron bikini? Levy could just imagine the feeling of wearing iron panties... Urgh. All the other girls seemed to share her point of view on the subject as they all made an uncomfortable face. All except Erza who just hit the side of her fist inside her palm as if she had just realized something:

" Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Levy, I've got just the thing! "

" Ehh? "

The scarlet-haired woman quickly summoned something from the magical dimension where she stored her armors and other stuff.

" Here, put this on! "

Levy eyed the two pieces of metal her friend had stuck under her nose and quickly understood:

" Erza, you actually _have_ an iron bikini? "

" No. It's made of steel. "

Levy took a step back, feeling an horrible wave of dread invading her.

" But- "

" That will make him react for sure, come on, strip! "

The bluenette's eyes widened at the implication of her friend's words and she wasn't the only one who felt this way: all the other girls gasped and shouted in surprise. But Erza wasn't even kidding, she was dead serious and had started advancing on the small fairy, well intended to help her out of her clothes if she refused to do it herself.

So Levy listened to her survival instinct and quickly did what it was commanding her to: RUN!

* * *

><p>The blue-haired mage wasn't very well-endowed and she wasn't physically strong neither but she had one thing for herself: she was a fast runner. Quickly making a dash for her life ( and dignity ), she made a beeline for the only source of safety she knew she had. That source was tall with long spiky black hair and currently walking toward the trail leading to the cliff at the left of the beach, a black exceed sitting on his right shoulder.<p>

" GAZIILLLEEE! HEEELLLPP! "

The man in question, even tho he was still quite way ahead of her, quickly turned around to look at his _girlfriend_ with a confused frown on his face, matching the one on Pantherlily's. However, the sight they saw confused them even more: Levy was running as if Zeref himself was on her heels, closely followed by a mad-looking Titania and a bunch of other females. The redhead kept yelling at the small fairy to stop running and to _take it off_, whatever _it_ was supposed to be. And, obviously, the young woman in question didn't seem very keen to the idea.

It took no time for Levy to reach them and when she did, the dragonslayer tried to ask her what was going on but she only dashed pass him while shouting over her shoulder that she couldn't afford to stop running. Lily exchanged a quick look with his partner and popped out his wings:

" Just go, I'll hold them back. "

Gazille didn't argue at all and started running after Levy, the raging fire burning in Titania's eyes enough to prompt him to do so.

The man followed the scent of the bluenette all the way to a cave where he lost it in the strong salty odor that overwhelmed the air. The sounds of the waves outside echoed in the place in a soothing manner, barely louder than a whisper, tho it forced him to strain his ear to locate the young woman.

" Shrimp? " his voice echoed on the walls of the cave that was illuminated by the large fissures in the rock over his head, letting him see the bright blue sky. He kept walking deeper, calling her out with various nicknames until, a few feet further, he spotted her bright blue head poking out from behind a rock.

" Enough with those stupid names, already, " she hissed with a frown, not moving from her hiding place. " Are they still after me? "

Gazille looked over his shoulder at the entrance of the cave but he didn't see any movement nor heard any incoming voices. He supposed that Lily had successfully prevented the knight mage to chase them.

" They're not, " he answered her. Levy let out a breath and slowly raised herself to her full not-very-impressive height. She was still trying to recover her breath while coming closer to him, a fine layer of sweat covering her body that the humidity of the cave did nothing to dry off.

" Care to tell me what the fuck you did to piss off Titania that bad? "

The bluenette scoffed, rolling her eyes and making a dismissive gesture of the hand:

" It's so crazy I'm not even sure I want to talk about it. And she wasn't mad at me, she was... trying to help. Kinda. "

The iron mage raised an eyebrow:

" How, exactly? "

Levy buried her eyes in her left hand:

" The girls asked me what you thought of my new bikini and since I told them that you didn't even notice it, Erza tried to make me wear one that would impress you. "

" You... wanted to impress me? "

" No. _They_ wanted _me_ to impress _you_, " she retorted, pointing outside then at herself and finally at him to emphasize her words. " I turned myself blue in the face telling them that you didn't care about my clothes but they wouldn't hear it. I'm not even telling you about the torture I went through, yesterday, when they forced me to go shopping for this swimsuit. "

Gazille watched the small fairy shudder at the memory. His eyes lowered to the green bikini she was wearing which straps were tied at her nape and were adorned with three little metallic beads on each straps, three others between the breasts and also three on each sides of her low-cut bikini bottoms. True, usually, he didn't really care about what others wore or not (considering that a couple of female members of the guild didn't wear much to begin with ) but he would have been lying if he said he didn't notice. He would also be lying if he said he didn't like what Levy was currently wearing. Any guy would agree that this swimsuit fitted her like a second skin, especially the bottom part, and he would even go as far as calling her... sexy.

The dragonslayer mentally shook his head to make the disturbing thought go away. Disturbing because he wasn't supposed to have those kind of thoughts about the bookworm. They had to keep this professional, after all.

" What kind of swimsuit Titania wanted you to wear? " he asked to distract himself, pinching the bridge of his nose.

" A metal bikini. "

An image of a armored bikini-clad Levy popped in his head.

_Fuck._ So much to avoid thinking of her as sexy... If he wasn't careful, he would start nosebleeding.

" Made of iron? " Yeah, he was rubbing salt in it...

" Nah, steel. What disturbs me the most about it is the fact that she actually owns one. Who, in their right mind, would want to wear something like that? "

He felt the terrible urge to clear his throat but he knew she would understand what he was thinking about, at this precise moment, and that wasn't good. Instead, he walked back toward the cave entrance and discreetly poked his head out to see what had happened with his cat and the other women. There was no sign of them nearby, they were probably back partying.

" The coast is clear, Munchkin, " he told the small fairy, pointing at the beach with his thumb. " You coming? "

" Uhm, no, not yet. I'll stay here for a bit, at least, until Erza calms down. "

He blinked at her while she made herself comfortable on a flat rock.

" Come on, I can't come out of here by myself, the others will ask me why you're not with me. "

" If I come out now, she will try to make me wear that thing. I'm staying here. "

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, he sighed.

" Shorty, I'm not gonna stay here all day and I can't leave without you. So, either you move your ass outta here or I'll make you. "

" Don't act like a jerk, " Levy growled, her cheeks puffed, " technically, it's your fault I'm stuck here: if you had noticed my swimsuit, I wouldn't be in this situation. "

" Oi! First, it ain't my fault if Titania is overreacting over this whole shit. And second, it's not because I didn't say anything that I didn't think anything, okay? You should have lied to them and everything would have been fine. "

She scoffed:

" Ha! Last time I made up words supposed to have came out of your mouth, you chewed my head off. No thanks! "

Both mages crossed their arms, tighter in Levy's case, and turned the head away, their eyes shut and their noses lifted in stubbornness. They spent a short moment pouting each other, their egos battling in a silent fight, until Levy glanced at the black-haired man from the corner of the eye and muttered:

" What do you think? "

He looked back at her, raising an eyebrow as he inquired her with a _Hm?_ She made a small gesture of the head pointing at her bikini. He shrugged:

" Not bad. "

She made a disbelieving _Tch_, frowning again. He rolled his eyes and snarled in frustration:

" Okay, fine, you're looking good. "

Levy raised an eyebrow, clearly doubting that he was speaking with honesty. He didn't flinch away from her gaze:

" Really, " he said in a softer voice, " you look very good. "

She lowered her eyes as a smile bloomed on her lips and a blush crept on her cheeks.

" Thanks. "

Gazille rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward having openly complimented someone, especially since it wasn't Lily. It wasn't the kind of thing he did often and it was even more true when it was about girl stuff.

" Well... How about going back, now? "

The bluenette grimaced while she rubbed her arms:

" I'm really not looking forward to have Erza strip me naked in front of everybody to make me wear her bikini. And I'm sure that you won't be strong enough to prevent her from doing it if she really puts her mind into it, or worse, if Mirajane helps her out. "

The dragonslayer felt like complaining about her apparent lack of confidence in his strength but he unfortunately had to admit that she was kinda right. They would have to fight this battle by another mean.

" So, the thing is that Titania will make you wear it because she thinks I don't like this one, " he stated, pointing at her swimsuit.

Levy nodded.

" I could just convince everybody that I like it and you would be safe, right? "

" Yes but how will you do that? "

" Simple. Get up, " Gazille asked with a gesture of the hand. She obeyed without a word, a curious look on her face. He approached the rock she had been sitting on and, holding her hand, helped her stand on it. It made her almost as tall as him. The bluenette was confused but didn't say a word until he placed his left hand on the small of her back to bring her closer to him and his right hand reached for one of her strap. She immediately jumped back while she flung her arms over her chest, her face redder than a tomato:

" WHAT ARE YOU DOING? "

The dragonslayer didn't look fazed by her reaction even tho her screams echoing in the cave were quite unpleasant to his ears:

" Relax, Munchkin, I just want to eat the metal out of your top. "

" You-what? "

" If we go back there and Titania notice that your bikini doesn't have the metal beads on it anymore, she will understand what I did with them. And what we have been _doing _since we came here... "

Levy looked twice as embarrassed when she realized what he was talking about.

" Of course, we could also just go back there and make out in front of everybody, " he added matter-of-fact-ly. He wouldn't mind it that much: the way he had kissed her, last time, had been quite fun and didn't look girly at all.

" Urgh, " she groaned, " I guess you're right but... do you really have to... stick your mouth there? "

" I bite with my teeth and my teeth are in my mouth. So, yes. "

" But... y-you'll eat even those? " she pointed at the ones on her solar plexus and he nodded. " To eat them, you would have to stick your nose in my chest! I know I have small breasts but that's not an excuse to allow you to do that, never in a million years! "

Gazille was slightly amazed at the fact that they were currently talking about her boobs and he was able to keep a cool head. Especially since he did not believe she was _that_ small in that area, it was all the other females that were awfully huge.

He sighed:

" It's either that or you take it off, " he pointed at her top and saw her give a start at the proposition. " Or we go out there and you try Titania's metal g-string. Actually, I'm kinda curious about it, I would like to see that. "

He grinned teasingly, knowing full well that she wouldn't accept that last option. Her face was so red, his eyes probably looked pink in comparison and she still kept her arms over her breasts as if she was already topless. He watched her struggle in almost complete silence, random whines and groans coming out of her mouth, until she finally let out a frustrated _Argh!_ and puffed her cheeks:

" Alright, sit here, " she said with a sour pout.

Gazille complied and sat on the rock, his back to her. He heard her sit behind him:

" Don't you dare look or you're death! "

He hummed in agreement, a huge smirk on his lips that she couldn't see. His ears picked the sound of the strap around her chest coming loose and another shifting of clothing that meant she had untied the knot behind her neck. Less than a second later, a light green bikini top was thrown on his left shoulder and a voice full of embarrassment echoed:

" Don't drool on it, will you? "

" Gihihi. "

* * *

><p>No matter how embarrassed Levy was, she had to admit that Gazille's plan had worked. The moment they had walked back to the others, hand in hand, almost all the women had fixed them with expecting eyes. It wasn't long before someone, namely Lucy, had noticed the missing beads and the whole bikini-hunting group of the previous day had squealed in excitement. Erza, after recovering from a massive blushing fit, had nodded to herself proudly as if everything had gone according to plan. But the girls hadn't been the only ones to react strongly: Jet and Droy had literally gone berserk on Gazille who had <strong>dared<strong> put his hands and _mouth_ on their precious Levy-chan. It had quickly morphed into a huge brawl that sucked pretty much everyone, as any fight in Fairy Tail often did.

Eventually, they spent the rest of the morning enjoying the party, Levy playing beach volley and cheering for Jet and Droy in a game of tug-of-war. Gazille had been watching from the side until Natsu challenged him to a swimming contest. It hadn't taken more for the iron dragonslayer to grow a grin on his face.

Soon, the delicious smell of cooked meat pulled the fairies toward the white tent and the gril where Macao and Elfman were having a burger cook-off, each man making extravagant gestures and showing off their skills. Of course, just like when there was food at the guild, alcohol also flowed freely which explained why there was already a couple of guild mates sprawled here and there.

When Gazille and Lily sat among their nakamas, something the iron dragonslayer refused to acknowledge out loud, they immediately noticed that the small script mage was nowhere around. Wendy was sitting beside the man while Charle and Happy were on the table with Lily. At Wendy's other side sat Gray and in front of him, there was Lucky and Lisanna.

The take-over mage noticed the black-haired man's gaze going left and right:

" Levy has gone with Juvia behind the tent, " she said, figuring that he was looking for her, " Juvia had something important to tell her. "

" About what? "

Lisanna shrugged:

" All I know is that she wanted to see Levy alone. "

Gazille frowned as he wondered what could the water mage possibly want to tell the Munchkin in private.

" Ah? Are you worried Juvia went and confessed to Levy? " the white-haired woman teased, hiding her smirk behind her hand while mischief gleamed in her blue eyes.

The iron mage snorted, tempted to ask Catgirl if she wanted to have another taste of Levy's wrath but said woman's _girlfriend_, that Lucky girl, turned wide eyes toward the woman at her side:

" Huh? Levy-san would be in a affectionate three-way relationship? " she asked in disbelief, switching her glasses-eyed gaze on him.

He was very tempted to say yes and precise that _she_ was the third one but decided otherwise. I wouldn't be fun if Shorty wasn't there to hear him.

" _Tch_, like Hell, " he answered instead. " Pretty sure Juvia's asking her how she could get Stripper to like her back or something, " he did a gesture of the head toward said ice mage who apparently didn't hear him. The fact that Salamander was loudly taunting Laxus, at the table next to theirs, probably explained why.

A few minutes later, the two blue-haired mages joined them, the water woman unsurprisingly sitting at Gray's side while Levy took a seat in front of the iron dragonslayer. She stretched her arm to take a burger from the plate at the center of the table and Gazille easily noticed how pale she looked and that she was emitting a slightly nervous scent.

" Oi. "

The bluenette quickly raised her gaze to meet his, smiling like she usually did.

" You alright? " he asked nonchalantly.

" Of course. "

She had answered normally but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

" You look a bit pale, Levy-san. "

It had been Wendy who had commented what the iron mage had already noticed, Levy placed a hand on her own cheek and smiled:

" Is that so? Ah, it must be because I'm pretty hungry. "

She resumed garnishing her burger while making small talk with Lisanna and Lucky about their previous game of volley. Gazille took a sip of his beer while glancing at his former Phantom Lord guild mate but she was mostly hidden by Stripper since she was sitting at his left. By what he could see, she seemed to be acting normally.

The black-haired man growled in annoyance and kept his gaze on the small fairy eating in front of him. After a short moment where Levy had already met his eyes a few times, she swallowed before giving him a curious look:

" Is it fun watching me eat? There's plenty left if you're still hungry, you know. "

He didn't retort anything. Instead, he approached her by leaning his body slightly over the table, prompting her to do the same as she understood that he wanted to tell her something. However he was interrupted in his inquiry by Happy's loud voice:

" They're gonna kiiiss, " he snickered behind a paw, making Charle lift an eyebrow in mild interest and Lily hum curiously while chewing. Gazille barely glanced at the blue cat before sending an iron pole straight in his face that sent him off the table with one undignified yelp of pain. Since most of the humans at the table hadn't been paying attention to the scene, they were confused by the sight of a blue cat toppling over the edge of the table and start whining about Gazille being a big meany. Pretty much everyone had cranked their neck to see if Happy was alright which left the couple some _privacy_:

" What did Juvia wanted to talk to you about? "

Levy smiled nervously, avoiding his eyes for a second:

" Ah, that. Well... It was nothing, she just wanted to make sure everything was alright between us. "

" Why are you looking about to shit yourself, then? "

She gave a little start at the vulgarity of his words, or maybe at the meaning that was probably pretty close to the truth. Nervously moving a strand of hair behind her ear, she smiled again but it was obviously forced:

" It's really nothing worth mentioning, Gazille. Juvia just told me that... I... erh... " she ended her sentence in a mumble that he clearly understood but that had sounded so unbelievable that he asked her to repeat.

" She said, " she spoke in a whisper to avoid being heard by the others, mainly the exceeds, " that I better never break your heart or else... I could have an... unfortunate accident. Like drowning in my shower. "

He slowly raised an eyebrow and whispered back in disbelief:

" She said that? "

" It was implied. "

Gazille could only look back at the small fairy with wide eyes, his mind completely blank. Levy softly cleared her throat and awkwardly gestured toward the mini-bar:

" I, er... I'm gonna get myself a drink. "

The bluenette was gone in a flash while he simply let her words sink in. He glanced at his left toward that other blue-haired woman who just happened to look his way at the same time. Juvia gave him a bright friendly smile that he simply replied to with a curt nod before he took another sip of his drink.

Maybe this whole fake-dating thing was starting to get out of hand...

* * *

><p>When they were done eating, Levy decided to go read Lu-chan's latest draft under her umbrella, not wishing to be too close to the water mage for the time being. Even tho Gazille had promised her that she had nothing to worry about and Juvia would never purposely hurt her for real, she couldn't help the shivers running down her spine every time she recalled how <em>creepy-friendly-looking<em> the water mage's smile had been when she had subtly warned her to be careful when showering.

Levy wouldn't be surprised to have nightmares about it.

" Levy-san? "

The bluenette snapped out of her mental torture and lifted her gaze toward the one who had spoken. Her heart skipped a beat when her brown eyes met the dark blue ones of the very woman she had been thinking about.

" J-Juvia? "

The script mage forced a smile on her face but, inside, she was fighting the urge to run away. Her head was bursting with crazy theories about what the water mage could possibly want with her. More warnings about Gazille? More gruesome suggestion of death if she _broke his heart_? She held her breath in anticipation for something even more unsettling that what she had experimented, barely an hour ago.

Juvia didn't say anything for a short moment but then, before Levy knew it, the curly bluenette knelt and suddenly brought her forehead against the towel on which Levy was sitting, her hands palm down in the sand and her butt pointing at the sky.

" Juvia is so sorry, Levy-san, " the water mage said in a wailing voice, still bowing in front of her. " Juvia's words had been too harsh and made you scared of Juvia but Juvia only wanted to make sure Gazille-kun's heart wouldn't be crushed. Juvia didn't mean to traumatize Levy-san with her warning! "

Levy blinked, stunned by the woman's position that would make people ask weird questions but also by the fact that she was currently apologizing to her. She suspected that the second one was surely the iron dragonslayer's doing.

The curly-haired woman raised her head, showing the small fairy fat rivers of tears coming out of her eyes and a mouth stretched in an ugly grimace:

" Juvia is so sorry! Please, don't be scared of Juvia. "

In front of such a scene, it really was impossible for her to still be afraid. The bluenette let out a relieved breath as she smiled kindly at her friend:

" It's okay, Juvia, you don't need to apologize like this. I know you meant well, you just wanted to protect your friend, right? "

Levy mentally praised herself for thinking of putting Lu-chan's writing away, earlier, because it would have been ruined by a very guilt-ridden Juvia who had just thrown herself on her lap, crying like a baby and apologizing over and over again. The script mage simply patted her back in a soothing manner, telling her that it was alright, that she wasn't scared or mad or anything like that.

" Juvia, " the small fairy cupped her friend's face in her hands and brought it up so they could see each other eye to eye, " I can assure you that I'll do everything possible to keep Gazille happy. I will never purposely hurt him, in any way. You have my word. "

Her promise made Juvia explode in even more tears and she sighed. All this _pretending to date _thing was getting bothersome. Fortunately, they only had about one week left before they could be free.

* * *

><p>When Juvia had calmed down enough to let her go, Levy joined the others near the sea. A big group of mages were in the middle of a all-out water balloon war and the rest of the guild was standing not too far, watching the action. Everyone was loudly cheering and laughing while Cana was making bets on who would drop of exhaustion first or who would provoke this game to change into a genuine Fairy Tail's style brawl. So far, the money was on Natsu and Gray.<p>

The bluenette came at Lucy's side and giggled when Warren got hit straight in the face by a laughing Mickey before toppling over. The blond leaned closer to her:

" Why was Juvia crying on your lap, earlier? "

" Don't worry, " Levy gave her a warm smile. " It was just a misunderstanding but everything is fine, now. "

" Something to do with Gazille, right? I saw him speak to her before she went to see you. "

The small fairy had a little smile at her friend's words: it proved that, just as she had suspected, Gazille had seemingly stood up for her against his friend. She couldn't help being a bit taken aback by it, tho. It hadn't been really necessary for him to do such a thing when they both knew that Levy wouldn't break his heart for real nor would he. That probably meant that the gruff iron dragonslayer was more caring that he let it known.

Levy opened her mouth to tell Lucy more about it but the words got stuck in her throat as she took an involuntary sharp intake of breath. Something ice-cold and wet had just splashed against her lower back, literally freezing her on the spot as she stood rigid as a plank, her hands instinctively gone upwards because of the shock while her mouth and eyes were wide open. It took no time for her to understand who was responsible for that _incident_ as she heard the distinctive laugh of the culprit behind her.

Turning the head toward the source, the young woman's eyes fell unsurprisingly on Gazille Redfox standing a few feet from her, his trademark sadistic smirk on his face and a water balloon held in one hand, ready to strike again. She offered him her darkest glare as she fought he urge to shiver at the sensation of water dripping down in her bikini bottoms and along her thighs.

" What's with that face, _Shorty_? "

He had purposely called her that to provoke her and she was perfectly aware of it but she didn't care. Someone at her left gave her a balloon and the bluenette threw it with all her might at the offensive dragonslayer. It missed him by a feet and the black-haired man didn't hesitate to mock her throwing skills.

" Is that your best shot? Come on, you're worst than Salamander's cat! "

Oh, it was on! Under their friends amused stares and laughs, Levy picked more and more balloons that she relentlessly fired at the arrogant male who avoided them all with ease. It sucked that she didn't have a very good aim to begin with and Gazille was more than happy to tease her about it:

" Gihihihi, you couldn't hit me to save your- "

" SOLID SCRIPT: WATER! "

There was a loud splashing sound immediately followed by howls of laughter coming from all around the two mages. Levy felt a huge grin take over her lips that linked both of her ears as her eyes fixed the obviously dumbstruck Gazille standing in front of her who's hair was plastered on his face and shoulders like long dark curtains. The bluenette placed both fists on her hips and straightened her back before letting out a smug _Hah!_, which prompted people around them to cheer for her and call out to the iron dragonslayer:

" Haha, she got you good, Redfox! "

" That's our Levy for you! "

The small fairy chuckled good-heartedly until, and maybe that was what woke him up from his daze, the black-haired man's red eyes suddenly met hers, a dangerous gleam shining in them. Levy quickly stopped laughing, Gazille's mouth twitched and she quickly started running for her life in the opposite direction, squealing like a little girl. The dragonslayer was already hot on her heels as they ran on the beach, zigzaging between the laughing mages, avoiding the passed out drunks and jumping over Master Makarov. As expected, it didn't take long before Gazille caught up with the bluenette, grabbed her by the waist, lifted her up over his head as if she weighted nothing before he started walking in a fast pace toward the sea, a devilish grin on his face.

Levy begged the man to let her go even tho she didn't dare struggle too much to avoid falling.

" No, no, Gazille, please, don't do that! "

He entered the water until he was knee-deep and glanced up at her:

" Wanna take a dip? "

" NO! "

" Are ya sure, Munchkin? " He moved his arms slightly forwards which made her yelp and try to hold his shoulder to keep her balance:

" Yes, I'm sure! Put me back down. "

" Really? "

" GAZILLE! "

" Gihi, alright: beg me. "

In a normal situation, Levy would have never begged him, especially not for something so childish which only purpose was to make fun of her. But she really didn't want to fall in the water from this height and even less be thrown.

" Please, I beg you, don't drop me. "

" Mm, okay. "

Just as he said that, he moved slightly backwards and completely let go of her, making her yelp for half a second until he caught her in his arms like a bride and started laughing like a maniac at her completely panicked expression. Levy quickly recovered from her fear to glare daggers at the dragonslayer, twisting her body to bang her fists against his chest:

" You jerk, you stupid... stupid... "

" Asshole? " he offered before snickering again.

" Quit laughing! "

Gazille threw her upwards with a little push to make her fall in a vertical position to end up holding her against his chest, her hands on his shoulders and her legs on each side of his waist while she sat on his forearms. Their eyes were at the same level and he was watching her with amusement while she puffed her cheeks, vexed.

" Sorry, " he said in a surprisingly sincere tone even tho he didn't lose his smirk. The bluenette didn't want to forgive him for teasing her, especially since he had been the one that started all this, so she kept glaring and pouting. However, the corners of her mouth were rebelling against her and fighting to spread her lips into a smile, her futile fight obvious to the black-haired man who just grinned and, by this gesture, made her fail at staying angry. A soft chuckle rumbled in her throat as she grinned just like he did, her hands joining behind his wet-haired head. She sighed:

" You sure enjoy doing this, don't you? "

" Not you? "

She gave him a sarcastic look that made him snort but she failed at giving him a real answer because, at that moment, their nakamas started wolf-whistling. Someone, namely Mirajane, started chanting _Kiss Kiss Kiss_ that made everyone else chant as well. Levy let out a silent sigh as she exchanged a knowing look with Gazille.

" Time to show off, " he stated with a small head gesture toward the crowd.

The small fairy agreed with a _Hm_ before bringing her lips on his, the contact only a few seconds long but enough to make the audience cheer like crazy. When they parted, she smiled softly:

" Thanks. "

He frowned:

" What for? "

She shrugged:

" For a lot of things, I guess. "

His frown deepened as he gave her a strange assessing look. But he only replied with a _Tch_ before he threw her over his shoulder and walked back toward the beach, prompting the bluenette to give an outraged shout and loudly complain about being handled like a sack of potatoes.

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> I hope it was to your liking :D Don't hesitate to review I don't bite, I'm almost as pleasant as some Mirajane's fanservices :P (hard to beat that you know)

also: do I hit the M rating for this story eventually or not? :/


	10. Levy's pleading look of DOOM

**Author's notes:** Yay, I finally did it! for the sake of the story, I made up a law that says that mages interacting with non-mages are forbidden of using magics against them except in the case of a job/mission or life threatening experience. I think it sounds plausible enough.

I still don't own Fairy Tail and the book mentioned in this chapter neither. But I own a new scanner so I can post fanarts again on deviantart :D *cheers*

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 10 Levy's pleading look of doom**

Levy McGarden was known for a lot of things: she was an avid reader, that much was obvious. She had a talent for ancient languages and script magic and had a smart, cheerful, pacifistic and forgiving personality. But, in spite of her non-violent nature, the bluenette did possess one natural talent that was considered like a real weapon, a weapon that seemed quite harmless but when someone like her mastered it to the perfection, it could spell disaster for whoever got struck by it.

The famous _Levy's Pleading Look of Doom_. Also known in the guild as _The Eyes_.

It was a psychological masterpiece, borderline dirty, that was rumored to be strong enough to pull a man like Laxus on his knees. Those who had been unlucky enough to have been subjected to it, even if only once, would run for their lives the moment they knew she was about to unleash it. The worst in this was that _The Eyes_ came so naturally to her that some people said she wasn't even aware of the devastation she could do with it.

Unfortunately for them, and for the poor man currently standing in front of her, the script mage was _perfectly_ aware of its potential. And, even tho she rarely used it, she didn't have any scruples doing so, especially if it meant getting something she really wanted.

A fact that Gazille Redfox had discovered only a few seconds ago.

" Munchkin... "

The dragonslayer gulped, fighting the feeling of panic in his chest born from the fact that he was apparently unable to tear his gaze off the young woman's eyes. The bluenette's big brown orbs were sparkling as if there was a thousand diamonds in them, looking so bright and appealing that he could feel his soul being sucked in them. If he wasn't careful, he would end up trapped.

" S-stop doing that, " he tried to say in an intimidating voice but his mind betrayed him and he sounded more pleading than anything. He wanted to curse, to fight back, to run away, ANYTHING_..._ but he couldn't. He just couldn't. He already had one foot in the trap.

The small fairy slowly blinked before adding an insanely _cute_ smile to her already insanely _adorable_ expression, her head slightly tilted and her hands joined in front of her, looking nothing less than an angel. When he heard his name come out from her lips and a...

" Pleaase? "

...pled in such an irresistible manner, he knew he was screwed. It was over. Too late. Overkill. Even Wendy wouldn't have been able to pull it off that perfectly.

" Alright! Fine, you win! You damn little... "

Big, strong and arrogant Gazille Kurogane Redfox had just been defeated by a half-pint who had made him submit using only her _eyes_. The shame! In another era, he would have cut his guts open.

" Yay! Thank you, Gazille! " Levy cheered before she literally glomped him, her petite frame crashing against his massive one without any hint of hesitation. The man tried to scowl and push her away, growling his frustration at having lost in such a pathetic way, but her huge cheerful smile drained his anger and he just surrendered with slumping shoulders.

He didn't resist when she took his hand and pulled him inside the bookstore.

* * *

><p>A horrendous hour later, the iron dragonslayer was walking beside a skipping script mage toward Fairy Hills, his arms loaded with books.<p>

A shit load of books.

_Twenty-five_. Who the hell would buy twenty-five books at once, if not Levy McGarden, _Bookworm extraordinaire_? And they weren't pocket books, of course, _no_: freaking huge thick-as-his-head books that he would have highly doubted that the squirt at his side could even lift by herself if he wasn't currently witnessing her doing it, at this precise moment. Five of those monstrous items were held by thin arms against the bluenette's chest, with some difficulties because of the weight, but the fairy in question was far from complaining about the heaviness, quite the contrary: just by seeing her face, it made no doubts to the black-haired man that even if they would have weighted a ton, she would have been too ecstatic to care.

Useless to mention that Gazille wasn't sharing her enthusiasm. He wasn't going to show it, for the sake of his male pride, but he sure didn't think having twenty of those _damn things_ stacked in his arms was no big deal. He honestly wasn't sure that his limbs wouldn't fall off before they got there. And there was also the fact that his skin was still a bit sensitive, thanks to his exposition to the sun, two days ago. He took extra care to not let it show to the petite woman since he surely didn't want her to tell him that she had told him so.

" By the way, Munchkin, didn't we agree that I wasn't your freaking shopping mule? "

The two piles that he was fighting to keep balanced in his arms were reaching almost over his head so he couldn't really move it to look down at Levy, all he could see of her, from the corner of the eye, was the top of her little blue head bouncing with every step she took.

" Uh huh, " she said in a very joyful tone without stopping, " just like we had agreed that my name was Levy and nothing else. "

He scoffed:

" What are ya complaining about? I don't call you Shorty or Shrimp anymore, right? It's not like Munchkin is an insult... "

They arrived at the base of the hill leading to the female dormitory.

" Munchkin means the same thing that Shorty, you know, "she replied nonchalantly. " So, basically, you're just calling me short with another word. "

Gazille frowned even tho she didn't see it.

" Like hell, that's not what it means. "

" Yes, it does: it's the name of the race of small people that Dorothy Gale meets in _The Wizard of Oz_. I was convinced that you knew and that was why you called me that. "

" _Tch_, I should have known you would have thought of a book... " he grumbled just like he so often did. " Anyway, I didn't get it from there. "

" How did you think of it, then? "

He grunted as he felt the weight of the books worsen as they climbed the slope.

" I ate a dessert named like that, a month ago. In Hargeon town. "

There was no answer from Levy for a few seconds and then, she let out a small laugh.

" What's so funny? "

" Nah, nothing, " she answered, shaking her head.

Normally, the iron dragonslayer would have insisted and made her spill it but, at the moment, getting those damn books at destination took priority. They were only a few feet away from the front door.

" What's the big deal to buy so many? You'll need a whole year to read all of that. "

The bluenette snorted as she dug in her little bag for something unknown, keeping her books balanced on her left forearm.

" Oh, please, don't underestimated me: if I wanted, I could devour them in a week. "

Gazille almost dropped his load when he heard her. Twenty-five books in a week? He wasn't even sure he could read _one_ of them in such a short time.

" Ya never thought of moving next to the freaking store to save you the trouble to get them here? "

Levy shrugged:

" It's no trouble when I have such an _helpful boyfriend _to help me, " she said with a big smile before patting him softly in the back. " Please, bear with it a little bit more, we're almost there. "

She pushed the door open with her hip and he carefully stepped in after her. He was about to drop the books right in the lobby but she gestured toward the stairs.

" No, not here. My room is on the second floor. "

He started cursing like a sailor which did not surprise the young woman who only glanced at him over her shoulder.

" What's wrong, Gazille? " Levy asked with a smile. " For the_ strongest _dragonslayer of Fairy Tail, getting those books upstairs shouldn't be a problem, right? "

He knew she was only ass-kissing him to get what she wanted but, damn his stupid ego, it did the trick. He pushed a long sigh, frustrated at her for so blatantly using him and at himself for going along with it like a fucking wiped husband. They climbed the stairs and arrived in a hallway with several wooden doors on each side. Fortunately, Levy stopped right in front of the third door and quickly opened it to let the dragonslayer in. It wasn't too soon for him, he was at his limit.

In spite of his eagerness at dropping his charge, the moment he crossed the doorstep, Gazille stopped right in his track as his eyes fell on the inner sanctum of the solid script mage. She had been right to say that he had been underestimating her because even if she had told him beforehand, never he would have imagined that her whole room would be filled with books. There were bookcases everywhere and every single one of them was filled with literary works, tomes, volumes, novels, hardcovers, softcovers... you named it! Never in his life has the black-haired mage seen this many books. Sure, he should have expected it but never he could have imagined that it would be to this extend. He had no idea how many there was but, in comparison, the two piles he was currently holding looked quite insignificant.

No wonder she wasn't living next to the bookstore: she already had her own right here.

At his side, Levy pushed a little contented sigh and commented:

" That makes a lot, isn't it? It's funny, everyone does the same face the first time they come in my room, " she gestured at his astonished expression, obviously amused, before closing the door behind him.

He blinked at the sound of her giggling and, as if it had been the cue his brain was waiting for, dropped the books right in front of him, the two piles crumbling like a house of card. The small fairy let out an indignant shout but he honestly didn't care: he couldn't feel his forearms anymore and his fingers were sore.

" Be careful, Gazille, their bindings could have come loose! "

While he only grunted nonchalantly, flexing his fingers to get some blood back in them, she was already down on her knees in front of the messy mountain of books, handling them as if they were made of porcelain, inspecting each one while ranting in a low voice about people who just didn't have any consideration for delicate things.

" What does it matter? Don't you think you already have plenty enough like that? "

" What you see here, " she made a circling motion with a finger, giving him a pointed look before eyeing the novel she was holding, " is only a fraction of what I used to have. Seven years of ravage from moths and an obvious lack of space forced me to get rid of the rest. So, I can assure you that I'm not about to think that I have too many, anytime soon. "

Gazille could only raise his eyebrows in astonishment: today, it made no doubts for him that the word **bookworm** had been invented especially for her. He watched her pick up her precious books, stacking five, six... _seven_ in her arms, and then try to get up from her half-crouching position. It quickly became obvious that they were way too heavy for her, it would be just a matter of time before she fell or hurt herself:

" _Tch_, are you trying to break your back? Quite the big idea to pick so many... " he scoffed, grabbing the back of her dress to help her on her feet.

" I'm okay, I do thiiiss... " she almost lost her footing, thanks to another book on the floor, " ... all the time. "

Judging that it was just a matter of time before _something_ happened, the black-haired man ignored his sore fingers, picked a couple of books and followed her further in the room until they arrived near what he guessed was her _sleeping area_. However, calling it an area was quite generous: the single bed in the corner was buried under even more books and a laundry basket, at its left was a window, a small desk, a comfortable chair and a carpet on the floor while at the right of the bed was a dresser, a wardrobe and a door between them that seemingly led to a private bathroom.

The black-haired man had a little smirk as he looked at the room as a whole: Lily often told him that he was a real hoarder but he was pretty sure that the cat would be surprised to see the Shorty's room. The main difference with him was that her stuff was far less cumbersome than the metal parts, gizmos and other things he liked to pick up to tinker with, especially since he never bothered to put them on shelves.

Levy carefully dropped her books on the bed and asked Gazille to do the same after she removed her laundry basket. She was seemingly back into a good mood if the little light shining in her eyes was any indication.

" I'm so happy: I've been waiting for those books for a month! " she squealed, clapping her hands in excitement, before she dashed back toward the entrance to pick up more of her precious items. The black-haired man decided to help her again, telling himself that he was just preventing her from dying by the things she liked the most.

* * *

><p>When all the twenty-five books were gathered on the bluenette's bed, the young woman in question pulled out a little notebook and scribbled down something about each item that Gazille guessed was the title, the author and maybe something else like the genre. Levy then carefully sorted them in piles on the carpet, treating them in a loving manner, and did the same with all the other books that weren't already neatly placed in a bookcase. While she worked ( if one could call it that: she looked so enthusiastic it didn't seem like working at all ), the dragonslayer sat cross-legged against her bed, chomping on a <em>IRON<em> as big as the one she had made on Tenrou Island.

" You know, " he said after a while, between two bites, " seeing you like that, I understand why you were given the task of restoring the data room. "

The small fairy lifted her gaze from her notebook and offered him a huge smile:

" Well, it's true that my experience with books helped, back then... " Her eyes shone with realization. " Can you believe that it was already one week ago? "

The man hummed in agreement.

" One week that we've been... you know, " she made a gesture showing the two of them, a gesture that he understood, of course. " I think we managed pretty well, so far, don't you think? "

" Yep, kinda surprising with all the shit that happened, " he rolled his eyes.

" Yeah. "

He propped his head in his hand while she lowered her eyes back on her work, her cheeks tinted with pink. A lot of things had happened in just a week, most of them not even planned for, like Catgirl's little trick and Barmaid's apparent obsession with them. They had also fought a bit and there had been a good amount of teasing too but maybe the most surprising about that dating thing was how much they learned about the other. Gazille had seen a side of the Munchkin that he would have never suspected but also, another part that he had never expected to be ever _allowed_ to witness because of his past actions. The genuine trust he could see in her eyes and the heartfelt smile she would give him, it was the same kind she gave to the others and so different from the shy awkward grimace she used to make in his presence. Ever since Tenrou Island, his relationship with her had changed for the better.

Seemed like Levy really had forgiven him. Lily had been right.

" Only one more week, " Levy added, pulling him from his thoughts, " and you'll be free again. Bear with me just a little bit more. "

She had a little smirk as she went back to sorting her books, he had a little frown in exchange but he quickly morphed it in a curious one:

" The way you talk, it's like you're saying that being with you is a pain in the ass, " he said while crossing his arms behind his head, leaning a bit more against the bed he was sitting against. " I'm pretty sure it's more the other way around. "

She answered his growing smirk with a roll of the eyes:

" Well, I would be lying if I said that I enjoyed being teased and mocked on a regular basis but... I meant to say that I'm perfectly aware that I'm not someone very interesting to hang out with. " She picked up a few books and disappeared behind one of her bookcases while she kept speaking. " Anyone would prefer someone who's more into partying, going out and stuff like that instead of always having the nose buried in a book. And with my plain body, it's not really helping much. "

Again, Gazille could only frown at the words that came out of the bookworm's mouth. The way she spoke, it was like she actually believed that she wasn't interesting.

" Are you shitting me again or you really think that? "

Maybe it had been thanks to his choice of words but her little blue head popped out from behind the bookcase, throwing him a dumbfounded look:

" Huh? What do you mean? "

" I mean that I'll have to flick you on the head again if you're really sprouting crap like last time, " he scolded her with a stern-looking finger pointed at her. " Didn't I tell you to not speak of yourself like that? "

At least, she had the decency to look a bit ashamed:

" Yes b-but I... it's the truth, you know. I'm not really inter- "

" Bullshit! Who's the dumbass that made you believe that? " He was starting to get pissed.

The bluenette let out a sigh as she came to pick another pile of books:

" I've experienced enough to know that my lack of appeal is a fact. I'm too small and _bookwormish _to interest anyone."

How tempting it was to tease her about the fact that she had just acknowledged herself as a bookworm but he was more interested in hearing her arguments.

" Care to elaborate on that? "

She had gone behind another bookcase when she answered:

" Usually, guys don't turn around when I pass by them, they never spare me a second glance and even less try to talk with me. If I'm with my friends, like Lu-chan or Erza or even Lucky, and we are approached by some guys, most of the time, I'm not even acknowledged at all and if I am, they think I'm a little sister or cousin. Back in the days, it was like that with Loke, he could flirt with every single girl he met but he never did it with me. And nowadays, it's the same with those guys from Blue Pegasus: I've never been approached by them, not even once. I'm ready to bet you whatever you want that you go see them and tell them my name, they won't even know who I am. All this prove my point, Gazille: I do not have what it takes to catch a guy's eye. "

She came back in his line of sight and noticed his blank expression:

" Hey, don't feel sorry for me, " she added with a knowing smile, " even tho it sucks, I have accepted this fact. I have my books and my nakamas, I'm fine this way. "

Gazille wasn't feeling sorry for her, he was doubtful of what she claimed. Was there really no guy who had noticed her? Of course, he wasn't an expert about the other guys preferences but he didn't think that Levy was as plain as she thought, the memory of her bikini-clad ass proving his point. He couldn't be the only one who saw it.

" So what if a bunch of losers and some playboy pansies don't notice you? It's not like you should give a damn about what they think. Just 'cause you've never been asked out, before, doesn't mean you're plain. "

The bluenette avoided his gaze, her cheeks getting tinted in pink, before she picked another pile on the floor and left his sight again.

" Actually, I've been asked out before... just not by anyone _suitable_. "

" Your Boy Toys? " he asked with a snort.

He heard her sigh at the nickname:

" Yes, both of them did ask me out, a few years ago, but I had to refuse. "

" Why? " His inner Lily-ish voice snickered, questioning if he really had to ask her why. It made no doubt to the iron dragonslayer that these two were absolutely no good for the Munchkin. Just imagining her with either the ginger or the fat guy made him want to burst out laughing.

" Because they are like brothers to me, we've known each others since we were kids, and it would bring trouble to our team and friendship if I was to date one of them. Beside, I know that if they actually hung out with other girls more often, they would probably find someone that fitted them better. "

Gazille snorted: the idea that they could find themselves some women was as ridiculous as seeing them dating the Shrimp. He stood on his feet and picked the last pile of books that she had left near her bed.

" So that's it? You've only been asked out by your fanboys? " he said nonchalantly as he started making his way toward her. He felt like scowling, tho: that seemed impossible to him and he was probably the guy who knew the less about those kind of things. Was all the other males of this freaking city addicted to huge boobs or what? It wasn't like she was ugly. Maybe it really was her love for book... But, even then, he couldn't see what turned them off about a woman that liked to read.

It was silent for a few seconds until she spoke, he noticed a faint waver in her voice:

" To be honest, there was another one... "

The black-haired man found her standing on a small ladder, her gaze fixing the bookcase in front of her with a strangely grim expression. He didn't need to be a mind-reader to understand that the _other one_ hadn't been a pleasant experience.

Levy blinked and glanced down to meet his eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards but they failed at making him believe that she was fine. She gazed back at the book she was holding, stroking the leather cover absentmindedly.

" It happened a few years ago... well, a few years before our seven year time skip. I would spend most of my free time at the city's library and there was a guy, a bit older than me, that would pass by, every time I went back home, always near the same building. At first, he would just greet me and I would greet him back, out of politeness, but the more days passed, the more he tried to speak to me and ask me weird and personal questions. He had that creepy smile that gave me goosebumps but since he never did anything else than talk, I figured that if I just changed my route and avoided him, he would give up. But he didn't, he started following me everywhere, calling me by my name, which I have no idea how he had learned it, leaving me disturbing love letters and asking me out regularly. I tried to tell him clearly that I wasn't interested and that I wanted him to leave me alone but he wouldn't hear it, he just kept saying that I was in love with him but that I was simply in denial. "

The bluenette paused, her body shaking under a fierce shiver and her eyes closed, as if she was trying to fight back an horrible feeling. Gazille didn't say a word, he simply kept his eyes on her and waited for the rest of her tale.

" I told the authorities about him but they said that they couldn't arrest him as long as he didn't try anything more _invasive_. They just told me to not be by myself anymore and to ignore him... But it got worse: he kept harassing me even when I was with someone else, he snuck inside the guild to steal things that I had used and... tried several times to abduct me. The last time, it happened in my room, in the middle of the night. He ran away when Erza and Mirajane showed up but since he wasn't a mage, they couldn't use magic to stop him and he escaped. "

Levy fell into silence again.

" Did he come back? "

His question seemed to wake her from her bad daydream, she shook her head:

" That very night, Master and Erza went to the council and they _greatly insisted_ for him to be arrested. He is in prison now- well, I guess it would be more accurate to say he _was_ in prison, seven years ago... He should be out, now. "

He could almost taste the scent of fear that came out of her in spite that she was doing her best to hide the feeling. She straightened her back and focused on squeezing the book she was holding into a tiny space between two hardcovers, with great difficulty. She glanced down at him while doing so and offered him a smile:

" Sorry for getting all gloomy over this, let's just say it's an episode of my life that I'd rather forget. That must have sounded quite ridiculous to you, right? A mage that wasn't even able to shake off a non-mage. "

The dragonslayer watched the babbling fairy fight to make the book fit, the action an obvious attempt at helping her clear her head. He didn't answer anything, focusing on the strange feeling nested in his guts that he only remembered experiencing once, in the past. It had been in Edolas, when he had witnessed Pantherlily being shot in mid-air, and just like then, he was getting overwhelmed by a burning desire for vengeance. He wanted to hunt that guy and beat the crap out of him: to hell with the fact that he couldn't chop him in pieces with his iron sword because the asshole wasn't a mage. To hell that the guy had already done his time in prison and to hell that himself wasn't in any position to require homemade justice in Levy's name since _he_ had done far worse to her in the past. Right now, he just wanted to spill that bastard's blood and his only reason to do so was that he could wipe that scared-as-shit look off the Munchkin's face forever.

Because she didn't deserve that such shit happened to her, in the first place.

The nature of his thoughts must have shown on his face because the bluenette placed a hand on his forearm, pulling him back to reality at the same time. He looked down at her, seeing that she had climbed down her ladder and took the books he was holding without him noticing.

" It's pointless thinking about revenge, Gazille, " she said with a smile that looked far more genuine that the ones she had gave him in the last fifteen minutes, " things are different, now. The security at the guild and here, at Fairy Hills, had been greatly enhanced. While it has always been forbidden for males to get inside the dormitory, it was mainly because it wasn't appropriate and there wasn't any big enchantments to ward them off. But now, absolutely no man can enter by any mean, at any time. "

The black-haired man grunted in reluctant approval even tho it was far from putting him at ease. The idea that this weirdo was loose in the city was making him grit his teeth. If the guy had managed to get inside the Munchkin's room before, he could very well-

...

Wait a minute.

" Guys can't come here? "

Levy looked up while placing the two last volumes she was holding in the lowest shelves of the bookcase.

" No. Not a single guy, not even a baby. "

He blinked before he opened his arms wide to show her his whole self:

" And what the fuck am I, then, if I may ask? "

She giggled at his scowl:

" No need to be insulted, believe me, you're the last man on Earthland that could be mistaken for something else than a man. Well, beside Elfman, I guess. Seriously, the reason you could come here is because I gave you a pass. "

" You didn't give me anything. Beside your damn books, that is. "

" Right before we crossed the front doors, I sticked it on your back. "

Gazille frowned in confusion, recalling vaguely that she had indeed patted his back before they came in. He tried to look for the thing in question but when he failed to see it, he started probing his back with his hand.

" Don't take it off, you'll be kicked out of the dormitory and I can assure you that it wouldn't be a pleasant ride. "

" A sticker, " he scoffed with a blank look. " Isn't that a bit flimsy for protection? Anyone could steal it and use it later. "

" Actually, no, " she explained while getting back on her feet, " because it only works if one of the girls living here, in this case me, stick it to the man they want to invite in, in this case you, and does it with the clear intention to make that male come inside. It has to be used less than ten minutes after being applied and it can only be used once. "

The man wasn't impressed, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the closest bookcase:

" I still think it ain't worth shit. "

She stifled a little laugh behind her hand:

" Don't go say that to Freed and the Master, they're the ones that came up with the enchantments. "

Gazille bit back his tongue for the obvious reason that calling one of Master's enchantment _crap_ wasn't a good idea. But that wouldn't hold him back from thinking it. His only reassurance was that Titania and Juvia lived here, as well.

" Alright, " the small woman said with a satisfied nod and a big smile, " not that you're no fun to be with but, if you don't mind, I'll see you out. I'm going on a job, this afternoon, and there's no way I'll have you in my room while I'm taking a shower. "

He raised an eyebrow at the fairy, scoffing in mock indignation:

" _Tch_, now that you're done using me, you're kicking me out. How considerate. "

" Oh, please, " she retorted while pulling on his arm, " I gave you a huuuuge chunk of iron, earlier. You can't complain. "

" Yeah, sure, that was so worth killing my arms for. "

They kept bickering playfully all the way to the dormitory's entrance, the blinding sun and fresh wind welcoming them when they pushed the door open. The dragonslayer stepped off the porch and turned to the bluenette who was standing with her hands behind her back and a smile on her lips.

" Thanks a lot for helping me, Gazille. "

" _Tch_, I guess it's fine for today but don't you dare do that dirty trick of yours again. "

She made a little face that clearly meant she wasn't promising anything, he ruffled her hair in retaliation.

" Just go, already, " she growled which made him smirk. But he got serious again when he thought of another detail:

" Your fanboys will come pick you up, right? "

" I'm meeting them at the train station. "

He frowned, the station was at the other end of the town. She shook her head:

" Gazille, there's nothing to worry about, nothing is going to happen to me. I'll walk in broad daylight and take the large streets, like I always do. "

" I'll walk you there. "

" It's unnecessary. "

" **Aaaww**... "

The two mages switched their gazes to the large door of the dormitory where a chorus of females had interrupted them in the middle of their argument. Of their undesired audience, all that was visible was their faces, all cramped one on top of the other in the crack of the door and looking at them in obvious glee, stars and little hearts in their eyes.

While Levy just sweat in embarrassment, Gazille grew more ferocious:

" DO YOU MIND? "

His outburst provoked the other women to squeal in fright and reduce the crack of the door to a tiny slit. The script mage let out a small laugh and placed her hands on the black-haired man's chest to keep him from attempting murder. _Attempting_ because he had already stepped away from the zone under the enchantments and his sticker had already dissolved, if he was to come any closer to the building, he would get literally kicked off like a soccer ball.

" I'm gonna be fine, " she told him in a soft voice, " so there is really no reason to fret over it. "

Gazille was barely paying attention to what she was saying, his eyes drilling holes in the dormitory's door while he grumbled various curses. It was obvious that he was too riled up, at the moment. Levy remedied to this by closing the gap between them, stepping on the tip of her toes, grabbing the back of his head with one hand and cupping his jaw with the other, all this to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

The contact made him stand to attention in half a second, his whole body freezing on the spot except for his eyes that quickly met hers in a silent inquiry. She simply smiled through the kiss and closed her eyes, prompting him to respond to the gesture, his hands moving to rest on her waist. Their mouths danced in a slow pace, not quite innocent but not aggressive neither, it was a bit hard to explain but far from being unpleasant.

Their eyes met again when they parted, shortly after, Levy's brown orbs searched for something in his red ones and he honestly wasn't sure what it could be. However, he didn't have the chance to ponder on it because his ears picked the sounds of half a dozen female fairies squealing in apparent delight in front of their _exchange_ and that just made something snap inside him.

Enraged like Erza in front of the remains of a destroyed cake, the man jumped on the porch, yelling profanities and death threats to the inhabitant of Fairy Hills, something that, unfortunately, the bluenette didn't have time to prevent him from doing.

" No, Gazille, don't go back there- "

A loud alarm noise suddenly resounded and a huge red X appeared in front of the door. Gazille barely had time to utter a dumb _Huh?_ that a violent force blasted him away, making him fly over the Fairy Hills arch like a clay pigeon until he painfully crashed head first, almost half a mile further. Levy ran on the little path until she could spot him, embedded in the cobblestones of the street with only his legs popping out. Even tho she was mortified at the amount of pain he could be currently experiencing, she couldn't help the corners of her mouth stretching outwards as she asked in a very loud voice if he was alright.

His answer came back in a muffled stream of heartfelt curses.

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><p><strong>End notes:<strong> Was it worth the wait? I hope so^.^ as always your reviews and faves are like coffee: delicious, warming and addictive! :3


	11. In the dragon's den

**Author's notes:** yay it's finally done! I'm glad to present you this chapter because it contains the plot bunny that started this whole story :3 I hope you guys will like it.

A special thank you to flarey phoenix for beta-reading this and giving me good tips

Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima which is not me so don't get any ideas :P

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><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 11 In the dragon's den**

Tuesday afternoon, four thirty. In the northwest part of Magnolia, not too far from the train station, a small woman with cyan-colored hair was walking in a slightly disreputable neighborhood, her bouncing steps testifying a carefree and joyful mood. She was wearing a light pink summer dress under a black bolero, strapped sandals, a shoulder bag and her trademark bandanna. A box wrapped in a green cloth was nested in her arms. Even though the streets were relatively deserted, it was a secret for nobody that this area of the town was far from being the kind of place a cute thing like her should be wandering into, especially by herself. Per chance, not only the small fairy had a good reason to be here but she wasn't on her own, a black exceed was flying at her side, keeping an eye out for any potential threats.

They were making their way to a place Levy had never been before, a place that no one, beside Lily, has been allowed to see, even less know the exact location. It was a secret Mirajane would shave herself bald just to know, even though Levy couldn't figure out what the barmaid would do with such information. After all, what would be the point, for the white-haired woman, to know where Gazille lived?

"Are you sure it's okay for me to come?" she asked, a bit worried that the Dragon Slayer would be offended to have her in his house. "I don't want to be a bother."

Pantherlily glanced at her and smiled.

"Don't worry, Levy, it will be an honor having you as a guest. I'm actually surprised that he never brought you home."

The bluenette tried to fight back a nervous laugh, busying herself at imagining what kind of place the iron Dragon Slayer could be living in instead of answering. She couldn't help picturing a little house made of iron, complete with iron furniture, studs and spikes, or, better yet, a cave in the mountains. She knew that the cave wasn't the right option since they weren't going in the right direction, but maybe it would be an underground hideout, à la _Phantom of the Opera._

She snorted, imagining Gazille with a tux, black cape and an iron mask hiding half of his face, hidden in the sewers, spending his nights playing a tragic version of his _Shoo bi doo bop_ on his guitar.

"What's so funny?"

Levy blinked at Lily's amused voice, the cat looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing," she waved a hand dismissively and turned the head to the side to hide her smile.

"Well, we're here," he said, pointing at the place the iron Dragon Slayer and his partner called their home. The script mage stopped right in front of it and took on the sight, her eyebrows slowly climbing into her hairline.

It was a two-story building made of cement blocks, the facade showing a metal door, two big windows covered with thick wire netting to prevent robbery and a big metal sign spelling _Pawn Shop_. At each side of the building, she could see a big fence stretching for about fifteen feet that surrounded a huge scrapyard.

A pawn shop / scrapyard... Surprising and yet, not.

If she thought about it, it was making perfect sense that Gazille would choose a place with easy access to food, which made her wonder if the owner of the shop was aware of the black-haired man's particular _tastes_. Unfortunately, she couldn't afford more time thinking about it because Lily beckoned her to a little driveway to the left side of the building, leading to large metal stairs that, just by the color and familiar design, seemed to have been created by Gazille. It brought her to a tiny balcony barely large enough to hold two people and another metal door that Lily quickly unlocked and opened.

Immediately, Levy noticed the strong metallic scent floating in the air that she easily associated with the principal resident of this... _open concept_ flat. Judging by the lack of divisions and several beams supporting the ceiling, she could guess that this space used to be an attic or, at the best, a storage room. In spite of the incredible amount of metal junk, weapons and armor covering every corner, she recognized what was probably the kitchen area, which consisted of a six feet long iron counter top next to a lacrima-fueled grill and a fridge. There was also a kitchen table bending under the weight of a huge pile of scrap metal, two chairs and a battered old couch that looked far from being comfortable. At the other end of the apartment, a large mattress sat directly on the floor, covered with a pile of blankets, a chest of drawers and a small bookcase at its left full of everything except books while at its right, stood a toilet, a little sink and something she guessed was supposed to be a shower, if the curtain was any indication.

Yeah, the _bathroom _didn't have any walls. The sight made her cringe.

"Please, don't look at the mess," said Lily with an annoyed scowl. "No matter what I say, he keeps cluttering up the place."

Levy gave a look around the apartment that seemed more like a mini version of the scrapyard outside than a home but since she wasn't well placed to complain, with all the books she owned, she simply shrugged.

"It's quite representative of his personality, I think. Are those all for eating?" she motioned to the piles of metal they could see pretty much everywhere.

The black exceed closed the front door behind her and flew to the _kitchen_.

"Only those in that pile," he pointed to said pile next to the fridge that was almost as tall as the household appliance. "They're for his snacks, mainly. The rest is for tinkering."

"Really?" she asked in astonishment, her eyebrows high on her forehead, again. "And what does he make?"

"Plenty of things: furniture, devices, lamps."

He pointed at the ceiling light hanging over the table, the article adorned with the same type of studs Gazille was famous for. The bluenette smiled as she let her eyes roam around her, spotting every other items the man had seemingly crafted or upgraded in the house. She turned back toward Lily who opened the fridge; even from her point of view, she could see that it was almost empty.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked her hesitantly. "We've got, uhm... beer?"

She politely declined the offer, adamant at not doing anything to make her use the _bathroom_. Before coming, she had drank a big glass of ice tea and she hoped she would be able to hold it in until she was back home. She decided to place her package on the counter before joining her friend. The black cat changed into his battle form before he started taking off various trinkets and rusted objects cluttering the table.

"Is Gazille coming home soon?"

"He should be, he only went on an errand for the Master."

In front of her inquiring look, he shook his head.

"Don't ask me, it's _classified information_, apparently."

The small fairy didn't insist but she still frowned at the idea that Gazille was running secret errands for Master Makarov. As far as she knew, no one in the guild would do such a thing. Of course, it happened that Master would ask someone to do something for him but it was never a secret for the others.

She let out a suspicious hum before she tried to help Lily remove an almost bent in two iron fence from the table. Even though he tried to decline her help, she paid him no mind and grabbed smaller items instead. Both of them were so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn't notice the sound of the door opening and closing nor did they see the iron Dragon Slayer approach them until he spoke up.

"Care to tell me what the hell's going on?"

Levy and Pantherlily both looked up, the exceed taking advantage of the small woman's distraction to take a shovel out of her hands and throw it with the other things they had removed. The black-haired man stood a few feet in front of them, dropping his travel bag on the floor with a muffled _clung_, hinting that more treasures were hidden inside. His garnet orbs fixed Levy with a mix of anger and outrage; the bluenette had a guilty smile.

"Hello to you too, Gazille," Lily said with a smirk before shrinking back to his usual shape, apparently completely obvious to his partner's mood. The man in question barely grunted.

"Hi... Why are you here?" he asked the woman, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I invited her, of course," the black cat answered before Levy could. Gazille's eyes widened as he quickly switched his gaze to his friend, obviously not happy with the answer.

"M-maybe it wasn't a good idea..." the script mage wrung her fingers nervously. Obviously, Gazille didn't appreciate her presence in his home. "I'll leave now."

"No," the iron mage blocked her path with an outstretched arm, "you're staying. No way you're going back out there by yourself. Dunno if you noticed but this neighborhood isn't first class, you'll have a bunch of creeps after your ass in no time."

He gave her a quick look over before he scowled at Lily.

"Relax, big guy," the exceed said, "I was with her the whole time."

Gazille made a _Tch_ but didn't add anything else. Levy blinked as she realized that the Dragon Slayer wasn't mad at her for coming to his place but at the idea that she could have strolled in the neighborhood by herself. The thought that he was concerned about her safety made her smile; it reminded her of how he had insisted for walking her to the train station, two days ago. Not that she hated it but she thought that maybe telling him about that stalker hadn't been a good idea; she was making him worry for nothing.

"You have a very unorthodox home," the young woman said to change the subject, "not quite like how I had imagined it."

He snorted.

"As if your place was more normal."

Lily gave her a surprised look.

"Are you a hoarder too?"

"She's got thousands of books," Gazille said with a smirk. "Barely enough space for a bed."

"Hey!" she objected, her hands on her hips with puffed cheeks, "it's not that bad, at least, my room doesn't look like a scrapyard."

"Nah, just like a freaking bookstore."

The black exceed glanced from the tall male to the small female, a crooked smile on his lips. Both of them were pack rats, in their own way.

* * *

><p>"Ya still didn't say why you came here, Munchkin," Gazille said with a raised eyebrow. "Don't tell me you missed me?"<p>

Levy rolled her eyes as she made her way to the kitchen to get the cloth-covered box she had brought with her. Gazille had already gotten himself a beer and sat at his clutter-free but slightly bent table. He gave it an unsatisfied look before morphing his right hand into an iron hammer and banging under the table to straighten it. She supposed that it was a normal occurrence because Lily barely frowned as he bounced slightly over the iron surface.

"I won't bother answering that," she said through the awful noise before coming back with her package, "I wanted to give this to you at the guild but Lily told me you wouldn't show up today and instead brought me here."

The Dragon Slayer's curiosity was quickly piqued when he smelled something delicious coming out of it. The bluenette untied the knot, revealing three bento boxes stacked one on top of the other.

"You cooked for me? Like a good little housewife..." he gave her an amused look, his teasing grin showing off his canines. She fought back the urge to tell him off, no matter how uncharacteristic it would have been of her, and decided to just pull out her tongue at him.

"I wouldn't usually do things like this but I stumbled upon Juvia in the guild's kitchen while she was making a bento for Gray," Levy took the first box, opened it and offered it to Lily. "She greatly insisted I made one for you, saying that it was my _duty as your girlfriend _to provide you with food... which I disagree with, by the way," she pointed at his growing smirk, "I'm not going to make food for you on a regular basis, I just made that bento to not upset her. And I also made one for Lily because I'm not cheap."

Levy gave Gazille his lunch before she took the last one for herself. While the exceed was already licking his lips in anticipation, the Dragon Slayer stared at his box with a blank look. There were pork ribs, fried vegetables, rice, something that looked like donut bits and screws.

"Is that supposed to represent something?" he asked while tilting his head left and right to give himself another point of view on the strangely shaped rice.

"A guitar... maybe," she shrugged nonchalantly, picking her chopsticks.

"Looks like crap."

The black exceed's head snapped up.

"Gazille!"

"It's alright, Lily, I know I don't have much artistic talents. Anyway, you should consider yourself lucky, Juvia wanted me to make one saying _I love you_ in rainbow-colored letters and little hearts."

Gazille blinked and made a grimace. Levy had suspected that he would never eat anything that looked even the slightest bit girly so she had tried to shape something he liked, tried here being the keyword because she sure didn't have talent for those kind of things.

"I can see the guitar, actually," said Lily who had cranked his neck to check into his friend's box while the man did the same, "but mine looks better," he added with a smirk before picking an ear from his exceed-shaped lunch. It was made of similar ingredients to Gazille's, minus the screws, but instead of donuts, there was a little kiwi tart.

"Damn right, you've put more efforts into his than mine," growled Gazille while giving an envious look at his cat's bento. Levy chuckled as she took a bite of her onigiri.

"Well, I kinda had more practice when I did Lily's. Beside, making an exceed is much easier than a guitar."

The man grunted in displeasure before he started eating his lunch. The woman subtly tried to see his reaction. It was true that she did not cook often but she still had made a lot of efforts to make those bentoes, no matter if it had been improvised or not. Her own box was filled with onigiris made with the leftovers, the items randomly placed in the box without any trace of design. She hadn't bothered to make hers extravagant since she didn't need to impress herself.

She didn't know if it was because he had guessed what she was thinking or if he had noticed the looks she was giving him but Gazille answered her silent question before taking a sip of his beer.

"It's not as bad as it looks."

The bluenette raised an eyebrow. Just by looking at how the man was wolfing down the food, she suspected that he liked it much more than he wanted to admit.

"I think it's excellent, Levy," the exceed said while giving her a knowing look. "I would gladly eat more of your cooking, in the future."

"My, thank you, Lily, it's so nice of you," she answered in a sweet tone.

"It's true, you're really talented."

Gazille muttered something that sounded like _ass-kisser_ but they pretended to not have heard it.

"Aww, Lily, you're much nicer than Gazille, I'm starting to believe I'd better off dating you instead," she added with a giggle before hiding her smug smile behind her rice ball. The black-haired man scoffed before stating in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What a shame that he's not even the same specie than you, Munchkin."

"Ah, it's okay, it doesn't bother me. I wouldn't have any problems with a cuddling-centered relationship."

The Dragon Slayer rolled his eyes with a _Tch_, the small fairy chuckled and the cat shook his head at the duo's antics. They spent the rest of the meal chatting pleasantly about their latest jobs and subjects of the like. The young woman was having a lot of fun and, even if Gazille made fun of her from time to time, she really liked the moment they were sharing. Unfortunately, the feeling was slowly being brought down by a situation she had dreaded since she had set foot in the apartment.

She needed to use the bathroom.

She tried to hold it in as best as she could without making it obvious to her hosts but near the end of the meal, her squirming had attracted the black-haired man's attention.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Shrimp?"

Levy was so focused on _the pressing matter_ that she completely missed the nickname. She jumped on her feet and bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry but I must go somewhere for a minute."

"Huh?"

The small fairy recalled seeing a bar, a few houses from here, she was pretty sure she could hold back long enough to run over there. She started swiftly making her way out but Gazille held her back by grabbing the back of her bolero.

"Oi, what part of _Don't go out by yourself or you'll be literally fucked_ you didn't get?"

Levy spun on her feet to face the man, a grimace on her lips.

"B-but I don't have a choice!" she whined, hoping to make him understand without having to spell it out for him.

"What do you wanna do outside that's so urgent?" he asked while crossing his arms and giving her a no-nonsense look. The small fairy felt her face burst on fire as her eyes met Gazille's; apparently, she really would have to spell it out. How embarrassing!

She lowered her head to avoid the man's eyes, her legs crossed while her hands wrung out the hem of her dress. She didn't want to say it, she would give everything to avoid having to say it but her bladder wasn't giving her a choice. Taking a big breath, she blurted out her request as fast as possible.

"_Ihavetogopee_!"

She didn't see how Gazille's eyebrows raised to join his hairline, his face the perfect illustration of the word _confusion._

"Say that again?"

She let out a loud groan.

"I-have-to-go-pee," she repeated between her teeth, her face now redder than tomatoes. Why wasn't she a stellar mage, so she could ask Virgo to bury her in a hole?

"Then go, the toilet's right there," the Dragon Slayer said matter-of-factly, pointing at said item at the back of the apartment. Levy's answer came out without missing a beat.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? No way I'll use that!"

"... Why not?"

The bluenette gave him a disbelieving look.

"Why not? Maybe because there's no FREAKING WALLS TO YOUR BATHROOM?"

Gazille shrugged.

"It's fine, I'll turn around."

"NO! I won't do that with you listening to... Argh!" She stomped her foot in frustration. "Move out of the way, I can't hold it anymore!"

"Okay, okay, fine!" the iron mage threw his hands in the air. "I'm going outside, dammit!"

Faster than a blink, the door to his own home slammed shut behind his partner and himself, both males standing on the tiny balcony like unwelcome guests being thrown out. For a moment, only the distant sounds of the night owls coming out could be heard until Lily commented with an amused snort.

"I told you walls were necessary for a bathroom."

* * *

><p>After the strange episode, Gazille and Lily were welcomed back into their own home. The iron mage buried the table under a pile of spare parts, the same Lily and Levy had taken out earlier, and started making some kind of clock. As for the exceed, he was sitting on the couch and polishing his Musica sword with care. Levy chose to read one of the books she had brought with her. At first, she had wanted to go back home to let the males have their privacy but the Dragon Slayer had said he would take her back to Fairy Hills later and since going back by herself was out of the question, the bluenette figured that spending some time at her <em>boyfriend'<em>s place would count as a date.

Lily's sword was taking most of the space on the couch and the only other chair in the apartment was taken by Gazille's tools and a soldering iron which meant the only place left for Levy was the bed. Doing her best fighting a blush creeping on her face at the idea that she was willingly going to sit on Gazille's bed, she pushed the pile of blankets to one side, took off her sandals and plopped cross-legged on the other side. She dug in her shoulder bag for a novel and her pair of Gale-force reading glasses however, the moment she grabbed the item and unfolded the arms, the left one snapped near the hinge.

"Oh no..." the bluenette whispered, her wide eyes gazing at her beloved broken glasses in sadness. It was her favorite magical possession, the very first expensive item she had purchased with her own money when she had started doing jobs as a member of the guild. She had always taken extra care of them but it seemed years of use had weakened them.

She would have to go to the store tomorrow but, for tonight, it would be impossible to use them which meant she wouldn't finish her new novel as fast as she usually would. She didn't have a choice, she would have to enjoy it _old school_ style.

* * *

><p>The tiny copper gear clicked in place perfectly, joining the others in an intricate network of clockwork that completed the iron Dragon Slayer's work. An aluminum lid was placed over it and screwed before the new clock was placed in a upright position. Gazille inspected his work from every angle before making a little nod in satisfaction and rising from his seat, his back and neck noisily protesting against the movement. He stretched his arms over his head and cracked his shoulders before glancing at the only other clock there was in the apartment, on the wall beside his pile of snacks. Ten o' clock. Which meant it had been almost five hours since the Munchkin had arrived.<p>

The black-haired man made a somewhat guilty face at the thought. He had said he would walk her home later but he hadn't expected himself to become so engrossed in his work that he would lose track of time. He mentally scoffed, it was kinda ironic to lose track of time when working on a clock. Levy had been awfully quiet the whole time, even Lily had made more noise than her and that was saying something, the black cat was naturally very silent.

Turning the head toward the couch, Gazille was a bit surprised to find it empty. Frowning, he swept his gaze around the apartment to spot his guest only to find her at the place he would have never imagined she would be. Slowly, he made his way to the other end of the flat, stopping beside the small woman half-sitting in his bed with her body propped up by his pillow, head hanging a bit to the side as she slept soundly, an open book on her belly. The Dragon Slayer silently observed her for a moment, watching her peaceful face, her slightly parted lips, her chest that was rising and falling in a steady rhythm, her pink dress that fell mid-thigh and her sandal-free little feet which toenails were painted black. He couldn't help noticing how slender she was, her forearms were so thin he could wrap his little finger and thumb around them. She looked frail and delicate even if he knew she wasn't weak, no matter how much she often doubted it herself. At another time, he would have scoffed and laughed at the idea that a tiny little thing like her could be strong but he knew better, today. He had seen her defeat something that neither he, Salamander or even Master Makarov could take down, all this with years of knowledge and a passionate heart.

Gazille glanced at his left toward the chest of drawers, Lily was already asleep in the top drawer he had converted into a bed. Looking back at the script mage, the black-haired man let out a displeased hum. He was facing a little dilemma. To get Shorty back home, he would have to wake her up but she looked so comfortable that he felt bad having to disrupt her sleep. If he allowed her to stay, though, he would have to take the couch which was the most uncomfortable piece of furniture he had ever seen (he had gotten it for free so no complaining here). Seeing how she had freaked out just because there was no walls to the bathroom, he could just imagine her reaction if they happened to share a bed, even if he didn't intend to try anything.

He pondered on the question for a few more seconds until he just sighed in surrendering, he would let her sleep here for tonight. It would be more practical this way because he sure didn't feel like strolling outside with a sleepwalking vulnerable woman that would attract too much attention from all the creeps living around here. Yeah, sure, he could kick their asses without breaking a sweat but it was freaking late for a brawl and he wanted to sleep.

Gazille walked around the bed to grab a blanket and pulled it toward the Munchkin. He took the book off her inert hands and placed it on the floor, beside her bag and sandals. He was about to throw the blanket over her when he noticed a red object beside her hip. Picking it up, he recognized her reading glasses that were missing an arm, the broken part poking out from under her. He took it as well before covering the small fairy up to her shoulders, earning himself a soft contented hum from said female who turned on her side, a hint of a smile on her lips.

* * *

><p>Levy couldn't say what precisely woke her up: the foreign scent lingering in her bed sheets or the snoring she could hear in the room. The only person she knew that snored would be Jet but she didn't recall going on a job with the boys, even less having a reason to share a room with them; and, of course, there was no way her teammate would be sleeping in her room. So, that meant that either there was a snoring girl in her room or she wasn't in her room.<p>

She was inclined to say it was the later which meant that, technically, she wasn't lying in her bed. That would be weird: why wouldn't she be sleeping in her bed? Where was she?

Last thing she remembered, she was visiting Gazille and Lily and they ate together. After that, she had freaked out about having to use the man's poor excuse of a bathroom that didn't have any _freaking walls_... and then, Gazille had said he would walk her home after he was done with the thing he was tinkering. They had made their way back to Fairy Hills after that, right?

...

No, wait. She didn't remember that part. She had broken her glasses and read one of her new books, sitting on Gazille's bed since there wasn't any other seat in the apartment but she couldn't remember leaving.

Which, by simple deduction, meant that she had never left. That she was most probably lying in the iron Dragon Slayer's bed and had slept there while shamelessly snuggling _his_ pillow.

This revelation quickly erased any traces of confusion from her mind and pulled her out of the man's bed in no time, her eyes wide in embarrassment. It was wrong on so many levels, how could she end up doing something so... so... inappropriate? It was so out of character for her, even drunk she wouldn't have done that!

The bluenette gave a look at the darkness surrounding her, the only source of light coming from the small windows near the ceiling. She felt her whole body being run by shivers, she had never really liked being in dark places and it was even more true when she wasn't familiar with the place in question. Her heart rate was increasing at an alarming pace and her breathing was becoming erratic, signs that panic was about to take over her.

Forcing herself to stay calm, she muttered an incantation that made the word _Light_ appear in front of her, the shining letters illuminating around her like a little sun. Immediately, she started feeling better. She grabbed the source of light to direct it at the places she wanted to see; at her left, she saw, as she remembered seeing previously, a chest of drawers with the first one open. A tiny furry form was sleeping inside, it was Lily who was lying on his back and snoring softly. Levy had a little smile at the sight, at least, this explained the sound she had heard.

Turning around, the small fairy tried to spot the iron mage. She waved her light toward the bed in case he had been sleeping beside her, a thought that made her blush in embarrassment, but she failed to see him. Turning again, she was faced with the scary piles of scrap cluttering the place in random spots, making it difficult for her to see what was beyond them and even harder to locate the Dragon Slayer. She could only guess that the kitchen was in front of her, somewhere, and at the other end was the exit.

Figuring that she didn't have other options than either going back to bed or back at Fairy Hills, Levy let out a small whine before she decided to find Gazille and force him to bring her back home, like he had been supposed to. This neighborhood didn't have a very good reputation and it would be suicidal to walk in those streets by herself but sleeping in the man's bed was almost worse. So the young woman braced herself and started shuffling her feet, walking straight forward while pointing the magical word to illuminate her path. She knew that it wasn't such a big flat but it felt like crossing a baseball field, random objects blocking her path and her fear twisting her guts slowing her down. She made it a couple of feet before a strange sound echoed in the apartment, a series of horrible squeaks that made her jump in fright and let out a whimper. The woman waved her source of light left and right to locate the thing that had made the noise but failed to see anything because of her frantic movements.

Suddenly, a hand shot out of the dark to grab her wrist, immediately making her scream and start struggling.

"Will you calm the fuck down, woman?"

Gazille's voice had the effect of a slap for Levy who just froze on the spot, her breathing caught in her throat as she looked at the darkness with wide eyes, trying to see the face of the Dragon Slayer. She needed a few seconds to remember that she had a source of light in her left hand; she raised it in front of her, the magic word quickly revealing the sharp lines of Gazille's face, his piercings shining eerily. His red eyes fixed her with an annoyed look as he released his hold on her wrist.

"Care to tell me what you're doing?"

"I-I want to g-go home," she tried to say with a determined voice but she miserably failed.

There was a pause between them until she heard him groan.

"Do you know what time it is?"

Levy mechanically moved her fingers, whispering the words _Solid Script: Clock_. The word hovered in the air at her right, the greenish glow of two hands indicating that it was fifteen to two. Gazille let out a curse, rubbing his eyes.

"It's the fucking middle of the night, Shrimp."

"I-I don't care, I can't sleep here."

"Why? 'Cause there's no walls to the bedroom?"

She hoped it was too dark for him to notice how her face burst on fire, she stomped her feet, growing more and more agitated.

"I want to go home now! Either you bring me back or I go by myself!"

Of course, she didn't want to go back by herself but she was hoping he would believe that she would and accept to walk her home. If it wasn't that she was freaked out, she would even try _The Eyes_ to persuade him.

Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan.

"I'll take you back in the morning. Go back to bed."

"But I can't sleep he- Hey!"

The bluenette's plea was cut short by Gazille's strong hands grabbing her by the waist, throwing her over his shoulder and bringing her back to his bed. She had been so surprised by his actions that her magical words disappeared, leaving them in the dark again, something that didn't seem to bother the Dragon Slayer who just walked around with ease. The small fairy tried to escape her captor, wiggling her body like an eel.

"Gazille, let go of me now, you big brute!"

Her efforts were quickly proved useless, she was no match for the man. He stopped right in front of the bed before he threw her down, making her bounce slightly on the mattress with a little surprised squeak. She was about to prop herself on her elbows to sit back up but suddenly, Gazille's body was hovering over hers, his piercing eyes burning holes in her even though she could barely see them. A wave of dread took over her, making her lose her strength and fall back down. The feeling twisted her guts when he growled low in his throat, almost like an animal.

"G-Gazille, what are you-"

In a fraction of a second, her sight was plunged in an even deeper darkness. Levy struggled against it only to realize that it was a blanket that had been thrown over her head. The time it took her to grab it and take it off, an heavy weight had fallen at her side. The bluenette felt a blush on her cheeks at the sight of Gazille lying at her right, his back facing her.

"Sleep. Now," he growled, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Levy gulped audibly before she nodded, even though he couldn't see her, and pulled the blanket under her chin. She was even more nervous than she had been before, not only she was spending the night at the iron Dragon Slayer's place but she was sharing a bed with him. How more wrong could it get?

Actually, it could be far worse, her mind stated, Gazille could try something while she was asleep. He was currently lying on top of the sheets but the small fairy doubted that it would really stop him. Maybe she should go sleep on the couch, just in case.

As if he had read her mind, the black-haired man shifted so he could look at her over his shoulder.

"If you leave this bed before morning, I'm bolting you to the wall, go it?"

He didn't wait for her answer; he only laid back on his right side with a sigh. The young woman shivered, burying her nose under the blanket and fixing the ceiling, her mind juggling with his words over and over. The knowledge that he really WOULD bolt her to the wall kept her awake for a good part of the night, exhaustion pulling her to sleep almost two hours later.

* * *

><p>"Bolting her to the wall..."<p>

Ruby-colored eyes avoided the pair of black ones staring from only a few feet away.

"You sure have a way to make people feel safe, don't you?" Lily added with obvious sarcasm, crossing his paws over his chest and scowling at his partner. It was seven in the morning and the exceed had just woken up the iron mage. While Gazille stood at the foot of the bed, the cat was standing on the mattress, on the side where the man had slept. Both of them were watching the blue-haired fairy wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, hugging Gazille's pillow and snoring softly.

"I had no choice, she was about to go outside by herself," the man said while crossing his arms over his chest and scowling at the wall.

Lily doubted that Levy would have gone outside without them, she was smart and perfectly aware of the danger. The way it had sounded, last night, she had said that to force the Dragon Slayer to bring her home. Even though he agreed with his human friend that it would have been unsafe to go out in the middle of the night, Gazille could have been more tactful with her.

"That wasn't a reason to threaten her like that, you probably scared her."

"_Tch_, it's not like I'd have done it for real. Anyway, it worked, right? That's all that matter."

Lily resisted the need to slap his forehead. Obviously, his friend was as sensitive as a brick.

"You'll be lucky if Levy still wants to hang out with you, after that."

"What makes you think I want to hang out with her?"

"You like her," his partner said with a smile.

Gazille scoffed.

"I don't like her."

"You like her company."

"She's... she's not too annoying, I guess," the black-haired man admitted. "But that doesn't mean I give a damn."

Lily chuckled, far from being fooled.

"Yes, of course, which is why you didn't want her to go out by herself last night... and you followed her to the train station, two days ago."

"...It's totally unrelated," the black-haired man grumbled before glaring at the mop of blue hair poking out from his bed sheets. The girl was oblivious to their conversation, her steady breathing unchanging as she kept sleeping like a rock.

The Dragon Slayer snorted at the sight.

"For someone that wanted to get out of here that bad, she's sure looking comfortable. How long is she gonna snooze here, dammit?"

He approached the sleeping fairy and used a sock-clad foot to shake her. Lily watched him with wide eyes.

"Gazille, what are you doing?"

The iron mage didn't bother justifying himself; he shook the woman harder and started shouting.

"Oi, Shorty, get your lazy ass outta bed!"

A low growl came out of the pile of blankets which was completely missed by the man, if he had noticed it and took it as a warning, he could have avoided a lot of pain; indeed, barely three seconds after that, Levy's head shot up like a bullet, turned toward the disturbance with a murderous glare and made a quick hand gesture that provoked a huge fireball to explode in Gazille's face.

The black-haired man yelped in pain and surprise, stumbling backwards and falling on his butt while Lily gave a start and Levy just let her head drop back into her nest, a _Leave me alone_ growled in a low and venom-filled voice.

Gazille successfully put out the fire that threatened to scorch his hair, exchanging a dumbfounded look with his cat. If he hadn't almost been burned, his face would have been white.

"What the fuck was that?" he whispered in astonishment.

Lily opened his mouth to answer even though he was at loss for words; finally, he managed to say in a wary voice, taking a few steps back from the woman who was surprisingly NOT a morning person.

"Next time, try to give her a peace offering, instead. Like coffee or something."

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> I admit I have absolutely nothing that proves Levy to not be a morning person but I find it funny :3

anyway, hope you liked it and thank you again for reviewing and faving, it's encouraging!


	12. Festival

**Author's notes: **I seriously hope you guys will enjoy this :3

I do not own Fairy Tail. As no one does, here, right?

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 12 Festival**

The moment Levy stepped into the shower, at the guild shower room, an overwhelming feeling of warmth invaded her from head to toes; a hum of contentment escaping her lips and a series of pleasant shivers crossing her spine. The water falling on her skin washed away the dirt, sweat and fatigue that had accumulated on her since the previous day, when she had followed Pantherlily to Gazille's home. The shampoo she rubbed in her blue hair in a generous amount quickly erased the masculine scent of the bed sheets the young woman had been sleeping in, the fruity aroma almost allowing her to forget last night's events.

Even though she knew that her brain would never forget something like that so easily.

The bluenette recalled that, barely two hours ago, she had opened her eyes in a unfamiliar bed with her nose buried in Gazille's pillow and her whole body wrapped in his blankets like a fajita. Her mind had still been blurred by sleep and all she could remember was that she had been dreaming of being angry at the iron Dragon Slayer and throwing a _Solid Script: Fireball_ right in his face. A tiny part of her brain had refused to acknowledge this scene as a dream but, instead, had called it a memory. When she had finally raised her head from her cocoon and spotted her _boyfriend_ in question, with a furious scowl on his boiled lobster-colored face, she had known that the voice had been right.

Seemed like Gazille Redfox had encountered Bad Morning Levy.

Levy rubbed her arms and chest with a bath sponge, giggling at the thought. Very few people knew that she wasn't at her best in the morning, only her teammates, Bisca and lately Lu-chan had seen this side of her. A serious lack of sleep or too much stress were mainly what would make her more _touchy_ than usual and if someone had the bad idea to wake her up too abruptly, they would, like Gazille, end up with a magic word to the face.

Since she wasn't a violent and resentful person, she wouldn't admit it out loud but, in her opinion, Gazille had it coming. He didn't bring her back home when he should have, refused to do it when she woke up, forced her to lie down in _his_ bed, lied down right _beside _her and even had the audacity to threaten to_ bolt her to the wall _if she tried to leave.

Bolt her to the wall... Of all the things he could say, he had to say _that_. It sure didn't help making her feel better. As a result, she had been too afraid that he could use this opportunity to abuse her to fall asleep and it had only been when she had literally passed out from exhaustion that she had gotten some rest.

It had been entirely his fault. If he had acted with more sympathy, he wouldn't look like a roasted dragon, now. Served him right!

The script mage didn't keep her smug smile for long because, in spite of his arrogance, she knew that Gazille hadn't _really_ done anything to deserve immolation. She was perfectly aware that her nyctophobia and the embarrassment she had felt at the idea of sharing a bed with Gazille were responsible for her previous behavior and paranoia. Now that she was calm, thinking that the iron mage could try to take advantage of her almost sounded ridiculous. Gazille was the type of guy that thrilled for a good fight and beside making Lucy dance on stage in a bunny suit while he played the guitar, she couldn't really recall a time he had shown interest in women. Even then, she had the feeling that he had been using the blond mage to attract people to watch his show more than anything else.

A long sigh escaped Levy's lips. She had been a bit stupid to doubt her friend's intentions. She trusted him with her life and ever since the beginning of their little scheme against Mirajane, he had proven himself to be quite reliable. He was the guy who had, more than once, shown concern for her and her safety, who had lifted her spirits when she thought the whole plan would fall apart and who never failed to scold her when she would run herself down. Yesterday, he had probably saved her life by keeping her home. Even though it wouldn't hurt him to review his methods, she had to recognize his good intentions; after all, it was a fact that Gazille wasn't the type to bother with niceties.

She would apologize, she decided as she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower cabin, wrapping her petite body in a fluffy towel. A couple of _Solid Script: Iron _should help make amend, right?

* * *

><p>"My, Gazille, what happened to your face?"<p>

The iron Dragon Slayer openly scowled at Mirajane and her too bright smile, barely holding himself from growling like a dog in front of her obviously amused stare. It didn't help his mood that he could see, from the corner of the eye, Pantherlily who was standing on the table, at his side, and trying to fight a chuckle. In front of the man's obstinate silence, the barmaid simply smiled wider before placing his, Levy's and Lily's breakfast on the table and retreating back to the kitchen.

The exceed didn't say anything as he picked up his fork and started eating, something that proved to Gazille how smart he was. The iron mage loved his cat but after spending the last hour hearing his whispered teasing, he wasn't sure he could prevent his own fist from punching his best friend if he kept it up. Yeah, the Shrimp had almost made his eyebrow's studs melt, this morning, so what? He was seriously wondering what had been her problem, then. It wasn't like he had asked for it; he had only shook her awake and she totally overreacted, shamelessly attacking him while he was trying to be nice.

The black-haired man let out a frustrated _Tch_ before he started stabbing his roasted potatoes. He sure was going to remember it, next time she asked for his help.

Speaking of the evil mage, his nose picked a scent of ink, fruity shampoo and another sweet thing that was exclusively _Levy-ish_ while said young woman came at his side with a big smile on her lips, her loose hair still damp from the shower and her body clad in a body-fitting blue hoodie and tan capris. Those clothes were probably the outfit she kept at the guild for emergencies since he knew she hadn't brought another set of clothes at his apartment and they had come straight here because she had refused to use his wall-less bathroom a second time. Just remembering the fit she had thrown about that made him wonder how she managed to _relieve _herself when she was on a job and stuck in the woods.

The small fairy in question started a conversation with his cat.

"How nice of you to order food for me," she said with a sweet smile.

"Gazille's the one who did it," said Lily by gesturing toward the iron mage with his chin.

"Really? Aw, thank you, Gazille." Levy's eyes met with his, the man refusing to act nice and simply stared back at her with an annoyed scowl. However, the bluenette didn't seem to mind his sullen expression, she was looking at his face with raised eyebrows.

"Wow, your face is still quite red, isn't it? Here, let me fix it."

Gazille wanted to refuse but her fingers were already at less than two inches from his cheek while she muttered her healing spell so he simply let her act without a word. He could already feel his skin stop burning and he knew that if he was to touch it, it wouldn't be as swollen as it used to be. He felt much better but since he was still pissed at her, he kept his face neutral even after she finished healing him.

"There," she said with a satisfied nod and a flick of a hand that made the word IRON appear with a clang on the table, "good as new."

The iron Dragon Slayer raised an eyebrow at the present and glanced at the small fairy who took place at his side.

"Trying to make it up to me, are you?"

Levy had a little sheepish grimace, he had figured her out.

"Is it working?"

He only answered with a _Hmph_ before he resumed eating his breakfast. The young woman took it as a yes and smiled again.

"If I had known I would have a sleepover at your place, I would have warned you that I can be a bit, how could I say... grumpy, in the morning."

Lily had a quiet laugh while Gazille snorted.

"You and I don't have the same definition of the word grumpy, if you ask me."

She made a sheepish grimace, avoiding his eyes.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," she eventually said with honesty before taking a bite of her omelette. The man at her side scoffed.

"Don't get over yourself, Munchkin. Even Salamander's sneezes do more damages than your puny little fireball."

If there was one thing Levy had learned from her association with Gazille, it was that the iron mage rarely said the words _Thank You_, _Sorry_ or _You're right_. Right now, it was exactly the same thing: "Don't get over yourself" meant _You don't need to apologize to me_ but his ego couldn't just let him say those things without making him feel like a weakling; it was a mentality he had probably gotten from Metalicana and that explained most of his everyday statements and actions. Showing gratitude and kindness would ruin his reputation, said reputation being the most precious thing he possessed.

They ate in comfortable silence for a short while until Lucy and Wendy came at their table with a poster in hands and excited grins on their faces. Charle was also with them but she looked, as usual, far more composed than her Dragon Slayer.

"Good morning Gazille-san, Levy-san," greeted Wendy, "have you heard about the festival?"

"What festival?" the bluenette asked.

The stellar mage thrust the poster she was holding right in the couple's faces while Charle explained.

"It's a nomadic festival that will be in Magnolia tonight only."

"There's gonna be a whole bunch of cool stuff," pursued Lucy who could barely hold back her enthusiasm, " like a play, games, lots of food, fireworks and many many more things!"

"Wow." Levy read the poster that was naming pretty much everything her friend had already enumerated. It sounded fun, she would really love to go. It would also be a perfect occasion to wear her yukata. Hopefully it would still be in a good condition, who knew if it had survived seven years in a box.

However, Gazille chose this moment to pop her dream bubble.

"I ain't going."

"Why not?" asked Lucy with an annoyed eyebrow raised.

"I'm going on a job. I need cash."

"Aww, it would have been fun if you came too, Gazille-san," Wendy said disappointedly. "Everyone is already coming."

"And the entrance is free," the blond mage added, obviously not pleased with the iron mage's attitude. "You really don't have a good excuse."

The man's face clearly showed that he didn't really care about having a good excuse or not. Lucy tried another approach.

"Have you taken Levy's feelings into account?" she gestured toward the bluenette. "What will it look like if she goes by herself? It will be boring for her and everyone is going to ask her why you're not there and if you guys broke up or something."

"_Tch_, she won't be by herself," he retorted in the same manner, "you guys will be there too and, beside, no one said we always always had to be together. Everyone should get into their heads that we ain't joined at the hip, goddammit."

Lucy looked ready to argue but, this time, the script mage was the one to butt in.

"I agree with Gazille. We've been doing a lot of things together, lately, but that doesn't mean we can't do things on our own."

To be honest, Levy had been surprised and, would she dare admit it, a bit disappointed that Gazille didn't want to go to the festival. For the past week, there had almost not been a single day where they hadn't seen each other at least once and now, the idea of being by herself, like before, made her a bit lonely. She mentally shook her head, in less than a week, it would be like that again so she might as well get used to her future single status.

"I'll ask Jet and Droy if they want to come with me," the small fairy said with a nod before raising from her seat and looking at Gazille. "Maybe, if you finish your job early, you could join us later?"

"Of course, we'll do what we can," replied Lily to which his partner only grunted in confirmation. The exceed hadn't objected to Gazille's answer because he had been right about needing Jewels.

"Perfect, we'll see you later, then," Lucy waved before taking Levy's arm and bringing her closer to her, the two of them walking behind Wendy and Charle who were hunting for more people to invite at the festival.

"We'll dress you up so cute, when he'll learn about it, he'll regret not coming," the blond whispered to the bluenette who felt her cheeks burn but silently wished it wouldn't end up like that time they had taken her swimsuit shopping.

Gazille frowned at the retreating women, absentmindedly chewing on his fork. It didn't take a genius to know that Bunny Girl had said that just to provoke him but it wasn't going to work: it wasn't like it would really bother him if some random guys hung around the Munchkin. But, then again, it wasn't like anyone was going to get close to her, tonight, because her Boy Toys were probably going to flock around her like hyperactive kids looking for her attention.

Hugging her, making her laugh, complimenting her on every single little thing she was gonna say or do...

_Tch._

He couldn't care less.

* * *

><p>The festival was taking place on the shores of Lake Sciliora which was barely recognizable with the colorful tents and stands that livened up the place. A huge stage had been built on the beach, its back to the lake with several benches placed in front of it. At each sides of the stage stood various stands selling food, like smoked meat on sticks and ice cream, some selling masks and fans while others were giving the chance to play games to win either toys, plushies, charms or goldfishes. The place was heavily crowded with people, young and old, wearing colorful yukatas and beautiful masks.<p>

Wendy and Lucy had successfully convinced most of the members of Fairy Tail to come, which made the event quite noisy but festive nonetheless. Everywhere, a fairy could be seen enjoying himself or herself and, in some cases, more loudly than necessary. Natsu, for example, was currently having an eating contest with Gray and Elfman but the boys couldn't help taunting each others between bites in a concerto of loud voices, spraying spit everywhere.

Among the merry crowd, a well-known trio was standing near a goldfish pound; the two males of the group trying to please the small female by every means possible.

"Do you want to eat something, Levy-chan?"

"Oh, no thanks, Droy, I'm fine."

"Are you thirsty, Levy-chan?"

"Not for now, Jet, thank you."

"How about we go visit the stands?" asked the plant mage while pulling her by one arm.

"No, the jugglers are more interesting," replied the runner, pulling on her other arm.

"Oi, don't decide that in her place," Droy scowled, releasing her to growl in Jet's face who also let go of her to give a mean stare at his friend.

"What about you? You think you know better?"

Levy let out a long sigh that went completely unnoticed by her bickering teammates. Had they always been like this? It had been only ten days since she had started dating Gazille and, therefore, stopped hanging out with her friends on a regular basis; she could barely believe that she used to deal with this everyday without wishing to escape.

And their bickering wasn't even the worst she was experiencing, this evening.

"Hey, Levy-chan," greeted Macao and Wakaba as they passed by them, "Gazille's not with you?"

"He's on a job," she answered with a smile, perfectly hiding the annoyance she felt at the question.

"Really? Haha, you'll have to get him a leash."

She let out another long sigh as the older men went on their way. Lu-chan had been right: ever since she had arrived here, the first thing everyone asked her was«Where's Gazille?», «Why isn't your boyfriend with you?», «Did you guys fight?» and every time, she'd answer «He's on a job._»_ with a smile that she found more and more difficult to fake. Why was everyone so focused on their couple? Why was it apparently unthinkable for them to have a life outside each other? As Gazille had said earlier: they weren't joined at the hip! It wasn't because they did things on their own that they didn't love each other anymore!

Or _faked_ to love each other... Not that precising this point to herself made any difference in the matter.

The bluenette forced herself to breath by the nose to calm down. She didn't know why she was getting so easily riled up when thinking about this. Perhaps it was because this situation was awfully ridiculous or it was a sign that her period was coming soon. Whatever the reason, she hoped it wouldn't ruin her night.

Sick of hearing the boys argue on a pointless subject, she grabbed both of them by the hand and pulled them among the crowd to go check the stands, the action cutting their bickering short faster than it took Erza to make a strawberry cheesecake disappear. They walked for a moment, admiring the beautiful items on sale and the delicious aroma of the food cooking; Droy unsurprisingly volunteering himself to taste all of them. They saw jugglers, acrobats and a sword swallower, the last one making Levy snort since it reminded her of another _sword swallower_ she knew quite well. She had a mental image of Gazille standing beside that man to show him how to REALLY swallow a weapon and had to hide her mouth behind her hand so the performer didn't think she was laughing at him.

They were stopping in front of a tent sporting a generous display of silly hats when a voice called out to Levy. A flash of white hair popped from behind a group of elderly people, at Levy's left, before Mirajane came into view, the woman dressed in a bright pink yukata and bearing an excited grin that heavily contrasted with the displeased frown the man she was dragging behind her had on his face.

"See, Gazille," said the barmaid while pulling a normally dressed iron Dragon Slayer in front of her, "I told you she hadn't left already."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, you crazy woman..." muttered the man, turning the head to look at Levy before he froze. He had seemingly been about to add something else for Mirajane but the words never came out; his mouth simply hung open and his eyebrows slowly climbed into his hairline as he stared at the bluenette's outfit: a golden yellow yukata made of silk with dark pink lotus printed on it, a green obi around her petite waist and a matching bandanna. He silently ogled her from head to toe for a few seconds until a single word escaped his mouth.

"... Fuck."

She had a little laugh; only him could make a word so vulgar sound like a compliment and judging by how his body flinched in an almost indiscernible manner when he said it, she guessed that he hadn't meant to say it out loud. She smiled.

"Thank you."

In spite that it was dark and the only sources of light were from paper lanterns hanging over their heads, she noticed the skin of his cheeks growing a darker shade. How funny that he had barely blinked an eye when he had seen her in a bikini but was now dumbfounded seeing her wearing a yukata. She found it strangely endearing.

Feeling Mirajane's eyes on them, Levy closed the distance between her _lover_ and herself before she raised herself on the tip of her toes and pecked him on the lips.

"I'm glad you could make it," she told him sweetly. Now, hopefully, the others would stop bothering her.

Gazille grunted, obediently accepting her fingers interweaving with his; apparently, he was still under the shock.

"Lily insisted we finished the job quickly so he could come," he finally said, shrugging as if he hadn't been disturbed by her sight, mere seconds ago. "And since he didn't want to come by himself, I tagged along even though I'd rather go to bed instead."

"How nice of you," she said in a knowing voice, suspecting the exceed to have purposely made sure the iron mage would be there. She wouldn't even be surprised to learn that he had threatened his partner to make him tag along. It made no doubts to her that Lily was as much of a fan of their couple as Mirajane or Erza were; a fact she didn't know if Gazille was aware of or not.

"Did I miss something interesting?" the black-haired man asked as he looked around. He surely noticed, as she did, that Mirajane had disappeared but knowing her, she was probably hidden nearby. As for Jet and Droy, there was no traces of them neither.

"Hmm, you didn't miss much beside me spending most of my time telling everyone about your whereabouts."

"Really?"

She hummed in affirmative, making him roll the eyes and scoff.

"_Tch_, how messed up..."

"I know." Then, she added in a low voice. "I wouldn't be surprised that Cana had a bet going on whether we are going to break up, tonight, or not."

They had started walking in a leisurely pace, looking at various items for sale and stands of junk food. When they stopped near the mask vendor, Gazille bent his body slightly to whisper in her ear.

"Should we take this opportunity and do it?"

The question took Levy slightly aback. Should they? It hadn't been two weeks yet so maybe it was a bit too early. But, then again, was it really worth making it last for a few more days? What would Mirajane think if they did it? Would she try to rematch them? They couldn't afford to end the relationship if Mirajane wasn't going to believe they had seriously tried to make it work or all their efforts would be for nothing.

However, the success of the plan wasn't what bothered her the most, in this. In fact, the idea of ending things with Gazille didn't make her feel as excited as she should probably be. Instead, there was a disturbing feeling pooling in her guts every time she thought about it, lately; this feeling she had come to recognize as dread.

She was _dreading_ the day this relationship would end... And she couldn't exactly say why.

It made no sense, right? It wasn't like she didn't know it would eventually end because she had known since the beginning. When she had devised this plan, she hadn't expected herself to actually enjoy being with the iron Dragon Slayer, to look forward to spending time with him. However, it was now a fact that she liked his and Lily's company, no matter how much the man could tease her. Even the events of last night felt like good memories, now that she had calmed down enough.

When they'd break up, all those good memories would become a thing of the past. Useless to say that it would be impossible for her to keep hanging out with them like they did now; to preserve their cover, she would have to act cold and distant with them for a while, maybe even for a very long time, and she wasn't ready for that.

Perhaps it was exactly what she was dreading. She didn't want to lose the complicity they had built between them, in the last few days. The only way she could save it would be to break up in a peaceful manner but she had absolutely no idea how to do that or if it was even possible.

"I... I think we should stick to the plan," she said in a low voice, her eyes downcast, "I don't want Mirajane to think we haven't tried long enough and, beside, it'd be a bit weird if we said we wanted to break up now when we've been acting all lovey-dovey, mere moments ago."

Levy finally summoned enough courage to look back at him but what she saw made her guts twist. She couldn't exactly name what she was seeing in his eyes, a mix of apprehension, annoyance and deception, but it was obvious that he hadn't expected her to answer that. She quickly tried to take back what she had said, feeling that she was complicating things for him because of her selfishness.

"O-Of course, if you're telling me you can't stand it anymore, I'd understand and we could... end it."

After a few seconds, he shrugged before looking away.

"Nah, it's cool. I don't mind, either way."

It was impossible for her to tell if he was sincere or simply going along with her but she couldn't bring herself to ask him. All that was certain was that they'd eventually have to stop pretending and, when that day would come, things would never be the same between them again. She just hoped it wouldn't be too painful.

* * *

><p>For the next half-hour, Levy and Gazille walked around, passing in front of various attractions and merchants. At first, they had simply been walking side by side but when they had arrived near a fire breather, the black-haired man's arm had snuck around the young woman's waist. Gazille had brought his head close to hers and kissed her behind the ear, provoking a shiver to cross her spine, while he explained his gesture with a simple word: Barmaid.<p>

After that, they resumed strolling around, keeping the lover's act, and passed by the sword swallower, making Gazille comment that he could do a better show than the guy, which made Levy giggle.

"That was exactly what I thought you'd say, if you saw him," she said with a big amused smile to which he only retorted with a _hmph_, a bit vexed that she had known what he'd think. His annoyance was quickly forgotten though because the sight had made him hungry and they stopped by a food vendor to get skewers of fried shrimps and french fries. While they ate, they chatted about the wood-cutting job he had done with Lily and he also admitted that his partner almost had to drag him by the feet to come.

"I swear if I wouldn't have said yes, he'd have tried that trick you did with your eyes, that damn bastard," Gazille sneered. "Ya should be ashamed of teaching dirty shit to my cat."

"I have nothing to do with this, I swear," she replied while doing her best to fight the smile blooming on her lips. It was true, she hadn't said or did anything to Lily that could have taught him her _Pleading Look of Doom_ but the mental image of the exceed growing big cute eyes to subdue his friend was priceless.

Speaking of the evil mage, at that moment, a black form emerged from the darkness of the night sky and softly landed on the iron Dragon Slayer's shoulder. While the man frowned in annoyance at his best friend, Levy gave him a cheerful smile.

"Hi, Lily."

"Hello, Levy, I'm glad to see that you found each other," said the cat while gesturing toward his friend with his head.

"With the barmaid around, didn't really have a choice..." replied the man with a scowl.

"Anyway," Lily spoke again, ignoring that last comment, "I've come to tell you that the play is about to start. Everyone is already there."

"Ugh... Do I really have to go?"

Levy gave Gazille a curious look.

"Why not?"

"I'm fucking tired; if I sit, I don't think I'm gonna get up again."

She couldn't argue with him. Now that she was giving him a good look, she could see signs of exhaustion on his face. Lily chuckled.

"Come on, you can't be that tired. I worked as much as you did and I'm fine."

"Yeah but you didn't spend most of your night watching over somebody to make sure that she... well, whatever."

Gazille glanced down at the script mage and adverted his eyes; the young woman felt a blush on her cheeks prompted by guilt. Apparently, she hadn't been the only one who hadn't slept much, last night.

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice, wringing her fingers. "I'm sorry about this morning too."

He looked back at her, his face showing hints of sympathy, before he shrugged.

"You've already said it and I've already told you it was fine."

In spite of his kind words, she wasn't feeling any better about it. On top of that, hearing Gazille say he wanted to go to bed made her notice how tired she was as well. It wouldn't hurt to go sleep early.

"I think I'll also call it a night, Lily. Could you tell the others?"

"Of course," he nodded before adding with a sly smirk, " _try_ to get some rest, you two, alright?"

Neither Levy nor Gazille missed the obvious hidden message behind Lily's words, the Dragon Slayer cursing out loud and trying to catch his cat but failing, his friend already out of reach, while the bluenette fought the blood rushing to her face. When the exceed had flown away and both of them had calmed down, the small fairy gave a little smile to her friend.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Gazille frowned down at her.

"Where do you think you're going? Ain't you going home?"

"Huh? Yes, of course. I'll find Jet and Droy to tell them that I'm leaving then I'm going back. Why?"

He grunted in understanding then took her hand.

"Okay, let's find them."

Levy's eyebrows raised into her hairline, understanding what he was doing.

"Oh, you're coming with me? You don't have to, I'll be fine."

They had started walking toward the stage, figuring that her friends would probably be there.

"Someone's got to walk you home; if your fanboys won't then I will."

"What? Oh, please, Gazille. Fairy Hills is barely a ten minutes walk from here, I don't need an escort."

"Ain't the kind of thing a girl who's got a stalker should say..."

His words had the effect of a slap. She knew that it was his way of showing concern but she couldn't help being insulted that he seemed to believe she was unable to take care of herself. In his neighborhood, she could understand that he'd want to protect her but here, in this part of the town she knew like the back of her hand, there was nothing to worry about.

"You're being paranoid about this," she said with a frown. "It happened almost ten years ago, things have changed since then. I didn't even heard about him after coming back from Tenrou Island."

"Doesn't mean he's not around."

She scoffed.

"You also seem to forget that I'm a mage; I'm not as helpless as you believe."

He frowned.

"I never said you were."

"Obviously, you didn't hear yourself. Admit it: you think I'm too weak to take care of myself!" she retorted fiercely, tearing her hand from his. She was getting overly riled up about this and she knew it but she couldn't help it. It was like a valve of some hidden emotions and pent-up anger had just exploded inside her and she couldn't keep it from flowing out.

"Don't fucking put words I've never said into my mouth!" he replied as quick as a flash, growing as angry as she was. "I didn't say that and you know it!"

Levy stomped her foot on the ground, her hands balled into fists at her side.

"But that's what it meant! Don't take me for an idiot!"

"What the hell is your problem? Are you PMS-ing or what?"

Her eyes grew wide in rage, she couldn't believe he had just asked her that!

"WHAT? How dare you? You're just the biggest... _nincompoop_ of this whole planet!"

It was his turn to grow wide eyes. She had just called him like shit, didn't she?

"The fuck you just called me?"

"Figure it out yourself, you BAKA!"

He threw his hands over his head in frustration, doing his best to fight the urge to settle this with his fists. Lucky she wasn't a guy or even Titania because he wouldn't hold back.

"That's it, I'm sick of you! I'm outta here!"

"I'm the one leaving!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

Both of them turned on their heels and stomped off in a rage; passers-by clearing paths for them without objection, too afraid to end up victims of these two youngsters' wrath. After barely three feet, the bluenette spun around to yell a few last words.

"And don't you dare follow me home!"

The iron Dragon Slayer only looked back over his shoulder without stopping.

"As if!"

They stormed off without another word, leaving behind them a confused crowd that eventually resumed their activities but also, unbeknownst to them, a very puzzled black exceed sitting on a line of paper lanterns, right over the spot of the previous commotion. Lily could only look back and forth between the two mages, his eyes wide in shock and his mouth hanging open while his brain was trying to understand what had just happened.

* * *

><p><strong>End notes: <strong>_Nincompoop: noun. A silly, foolish or stupid person. (from thefreedictionary .com)_

thank you again and again for the faves and reviews (yay this story got more than 200 reviews!) and please don't kill me before next chapter, okay? :3


	13. Bittersweet Freedom

**Author's notes**: o.0

...YES! I FINALLY DID IT! so many things coming between me and my dear computer... parental leave was over so I started working again then my youngest daughter didn't like being at the daycare at first so she stopped sleeping for a while... that is without mentioning that my mom gave me the first two books of Hunger Games (so cool btw) but the worst, I think, is that when I finally could have a few precious hours to myself to write, my dear boyfriend decided that, after more than 10 years of MMO addiction, he wanted to spend time with me.

...Whut? Who are you and what have you done with my man?

*Sigh* yeah, so that's what happened. Don't worry, I have absolutely no intention of dropping this story. I will finish this! even if it's the last thing I do. So please enjoy this double update because it was wayyy too massive to put into only one chapter. more than 17 700 words in total for you, my dears!

as usual, I do not own Fairy Tail, I'm too busy for that.

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 13 Bittersweet Freedom**

The next morning (Thursday), Gazille and Levy were both conspicuous by their absences at the guild. Since only Pantherlily had witnessed the fight and had been too perturbed by it to stay at the festival afterward, no one knew exactly what had happened between the lovers and why they hadn't shown up yet; it didn't take more than that for a few rumors to start. While some members that liked to gossip brought out the subject with mild interest, using the same tone one used when talking about the weather, the matter looked awfully more serious to a certain white-haired barmaid. Mirajane was utterly convinced that something bad had happened between the two mages because, except when they would be on a job, Gazille and Levy would always come have breakfast together every morning and never arrived later than ten o' clock; it was mid-day now and there was no trace of them. An awful feeling of foreboding was invading her from the inside and making her nervously pace behind the bar.

"Maybe they ate at a restaurant or at home," suggested Lisanna to her worried sister, when the latter told her about her worries. But the cover girl made a sad grimace, gnawing at a nail.

"I've got a bad feeling... I'm sure something happened."

"What makes you say that?"

"I just know it, Lisanna, it's like a sixth sense. I _know_ that something happened... It's too unusual for them to not come at the guild."

The youngest Strauss couldn't help pitying her dear sister who looked like her world was slowly falling apart. It was obvious that she was taking the matter at heart and that the mere idea that Levy and Gazille could break up depressed her greatly. She had been so proud of seeing all her efforts being rewarded, when she had learned that they had started dating; a break up would be a terrible failure, to her eyes. However, neither of them knew _what_ had happened between the two mages and even less _if_ something had happened, in the first place. It wouldn't do them any good to jump to conclusions too fast.

"Don't worry about it, Mira-nee," she said in a reassuring voice from her seat at one of the bar's stools. "Give them some time, I'm sure there's nothing to be worried about."

The older woman only made a small hum in agreement but she didn't sound convinced. Lisanna glanced at the crowded guild hall, thinking that it was maybe time for her to interfere with the fake lovers' scheme again. After helping them _tame_ each other at the boot camp, she had let them fend for themselves, convinced that they could manage to make their _couple_ work, while she quietly observed from the sidelines. She hadn't been wrong, they had managed perfectly; the more days had passed, the more convincing they had been, even when they hadn't been trying, like that time at the infirmary when, only by talking, they had sent her sister and Erza to the mat.

And the day after that, she remembered, she had woken up tied to Natsu and in a very compromising position; the prank being their revenge for what she had done to them in the storage room. Lisanna had honestly thought that they'd go for something more physical to come back at her, like dying her hair or even crucifying her to the wall. She didn't doubt that it had been Levy's plan to use the same magic cloth to bind her to the man she liked and making sure she wouldn't be able to cheat to get out of it. How had the small fairy known that she still had a very small crush on Natsu, she had no idea (she never told anyone) but it did the trick. Never has she been so embarrassed, in her whole life.

She had learned a good lesson, that day: _don't prank a girl who is much smarter than you._

The white-haired woman shook her head to clear the unpleasant memory from her mind. The main point was that, ever since the beach party, Lisanna didn't have any contact with the two mages; she had only briefly seen them walk together at the festival, yesterday. But, by the way they had been cuddling and kissing, it wouldn't come to her mind that they could have been on bad terms... and even less about to break up. If they had, it wouldn't have been good for their plan since they hadn't been dating for long enough, in her opinion.

She decided to wait and see how things would turn out, at least for the day. Perhaps they hadn't fought at all and just didn't come to the guild yet. Maybe things had started to change between them and they were discovering a real mutual attraction for each other, just like she had been secretly wishing for, lately. It would be funny if that was the case: going to great lengths to elaborate a plan to prove her sister that they weren't compatible only to discover that they actually were...

How would Levy call that? Irony, right?

* * *

><p>On the second floor of the Fairy Tail's female dormitory, inside the third room to be more precise, a young woman with sky blue hair was curled into a ball in her bed, mostly hidden under a thick blanket. In spite that it was almost noon, Levy didn't wish to be anywhere else than where she currently was and didn't plan to move from there, if she could help it, neither. Her night had been short and unpleasant, thanks to a certain iron Dragon Slayer who had gotten her so mad that she hadn't been able to rest properly.<p>

Sounded like _déjà vu_, didn't it? No wonder, it did, because the same thing had also occurred the very night before last night. As if she needed that happening to her twice.

"Damn bastard," muttered the bluenette in question before letting out a tormented groan, clutching her lower belly and squeezing her eyes shut. She would normally never use those kind of words, even when angry, but today was different. She was in a foul mood and, unfortunately, couldn't simply put the blame on that fake muscle-brained _boyfriend_ of hers. She couldn't blame it on a lack of sleep and morning grumpiness neither, no matter how much she would like to.

No, the main reason why she was ready to commit mass murder had appeared at precisely a quarter past five, this morning, in a spurt of blood and vicious cramps to her abdomen, making her realize with a bitter smile that she _really_ had been PMS-ing, last night...

Funny, wasn't it? If Gazille knew, he would probably be laughing his studded ass off, now.

Another wince escaped her lips, making her curse under her breath. Why did it have to happen today? Couldn't it have waited for a few days? Or, better yet, couldn't it have waited forever? To be honest, she hadn't been that surprised to have her period, this morning; even though she didn't have a regular cycle, she was still on time. The past days' events had kept her so busy that she hadn't thought about the possibility of this _inconvenience_ happening in the middle of her fake relationship. She was mentally scolding herself for having been this careless in her planning.

The script mage let out a long sigh. She was exhausted but the pain was preventing her from falling asleep, no matter how much she was craving for it. She had taken some painkillers but their effect hadn't started yet and it was out of the question that she took a bath in the dormitory's bathroom, for obvious hygienic issues. So that left her with no other solutions than to stay in bed, wait for the medicine to take effect and try to fall asleep. The good side of this was that she wouldn't have to deal with the others today; something she wasn't in the mood for, anyway. However, staying in bed all day long was giving her plenty of time to think about her current situation with the iron Dragon Slayer, which was, it was pointless to mention it, far less pleasant.

Poking her head from under her salmon pink blanket, Levy sent a cold glare at the yellow yukata lying on the floor, near her desk, as if it was responsible for the anguish she was currently experiencing. Hard to believe that, barely twenty-four hour ago, she had been looking forward to wear it and even secretly hoping that the iron mage would like it, which, incidentally, had been the case. However, if she had known what would happen between them, after that, she wouldn't even have bothered making all those efforts to make herself pretty for him. Ungrateful jerk. He was making her regret apologizing to him, earlier that day.

"Stupid baka..." she spat out loud even though she was alone, swiftly turning to lay on her other side so she wouldn't see the clothing anymore. Instead of fixing her bookcases, she was now staring at the wall, while doing her best to ignore the throbbing pain in her lower belly and the tiny knowing voice in her head that was scolding her for working herself up against the black-haired man when she didn't have a good reason to. It was pointing out to her that it was her hormones that were making her so aggressive, that she was being unfair with Gazille by badmouthing him and that she really needed to apologize to him for treating him so badly.

She couldn't refute what the little voice was saying but that didn't hold her from telling it to mind its own business.

* * *

><p>At the other end of the town, inside a small flat overrun by a huge collection of metal junks and parts, a black-furred exceed was hovering over a large mattress sitting directly on the floor, near the furthest wall of the apartment. On top of said mattress laid a black-haired man whose face was adorned with several piercings, with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. In spite of the fact that the human hadn't moved from there since last night, Pantherlily knew that he was far from being about to wake up. Gazille had spent a good part of the night tossing and turning in his bed and it had only been a few hours, since he had passed out from exhaustion.<p>

Letting out a sigh, the cat landed on the bed and sat cross-legged near his friend's head. While he watched him sleep, he couldn't help recalling the fight he had witnessed, at the festival, between him and Levy; both mages had been so enraged, back then, that he hadn't dared try to stop them. When Lily had flown back home with hopes of getting an explanation about this from his partner, the latter had already went to bed and faked sleeping, clearly making him understand that he didn't want to talk about it.

Lily knew that Gazille could be hot-tempered when he wanted. He was also aware that he and Levy had already fought, in the past. However, he had the feeling that this fight had been far more serious than it should have been, even though he couldn't figure out why. The hint had been subtle, only his deep knowledge of his friend's personality had allowed him to see it, but it had been undeniable: Gazille had felt threatened by Levy's words, as if they had been unfairly accusing him of something. Unfortunately, Lily had missed the first part of their argument so he couldn't really tell what exactly she had been accusing him of and if she had been right to do so.

The man let out a loud snore and the exceed snorted, resting his head in his paw. He admitted that, at first, he had been surprised that Gazille and Levy became lovers; not that he had anything against it but he would have never expected his friend to recognize any feelings he could have for the small fairy as love. That was without mentioning how often the mage had complained about Mirajane trying to play matchmaker with him, in the past, almost making him believe that the man didn't have any interest in those things.

It didn't take long before he learned the truth about this relationship, which was simply a plan devised by Levy to fool the barmaid. Yet again, he had been surprised to learn that Gazille had agreed to it without much complain, then, as days passed, he had even noticed that the Dragon Slayer was enjoying it to some extent. There was no use denying that little gleam of excitement shining in his eyes whenever he succeeded at teasing the young woman and, if Lily didn't know better, he could swear that, lately, there had been something more _affectionate_ in the looks he would give her, as well. Of course, it was useless saying it out loud in front of the man, he would deny everything as if his life depended on it and justify his actions as simply acting his part in the scheme.

Which brought the exceed back to the matter of the fight from last night. Could it have been staged? A part of him answered no; Gazille had been telling him everything about the plan since the first day, he would have warned him about a fake break-up. Then, if it had been a real fight, what did Levy say that could affect the iron mage that much? Why hadn't he been venting out to him about whatever pissed him off and breaking a thing or two, like he usually did, instead of running back home and shutting himself up?

He was unable to tell but he knew that if he wanted some answers from his partner, he would need to cajole him like never before or to beat the crap out of him. Whatever the solution, they wouldn't be able to avoid it; some serious thinking needed to be done about this whole fake-dating plan that was getting very complicated. It made no doubts to him that the reason it was becoming so arduous for his two favorite humans was because the thin line between their pretense and their feelings was getting more and more blurred, as days passed; something that, in his opinion, had started way before either of them became aware of Mirajane's plans.

* * *

><p>When Levy opened her eyes again, the sun was already disappearing under the horizon, telling her that it was early in the evening. She was feeling much better than before; the painkillers had been effective and, thanks to them, she had slept like a rock. In spite of those good news, she would have gladly stayed in her room for, at least, another day but starvation was motivating her to get up. The bluenette sat in her bed and stretched her arms over her head, yawning shamelessly, before removing the blanket that covered her body and jumping out of bed. On her way to the bathroom, her eyes fell on the golden yellow yukata and the green obi she had thrown on the floor, the previous night. She picked them up to put them in her laundry basket, a bit ashamed to have mistreated her most beautiful clothes this way, while being under her emotions' influence.<p>

Useless to mention that seeing them reminded her of the festival and, more precisely, of Gazille, prompting a bland feeling of frustration to flicker in her guts. Since the iron Dragon Slayer was the last person she wanted to be thinking of, for a while, she shook her head to clear it of any undesirable thoughts and entered the bathroom. She turned the shower on, stripped off the light blue tank top and matching pair of panties she was wearing and quickly jumped under the stream that wasn't quite hot enough to be comfortable. It did the trick; she was so busy fighting the urge to escape the cold water that there was no room left in her mind for anything else.

A short time later, Levy was back in her _sleeping area_ with a fluffy white towel around her chest and a smaller one wrapped around her head like a turban. She fished for a comfortable outfit, a pair of gray sweatpants and a form-fitting yellow sweatshirt, that she threw on her bed (she planned going at a nearby take-out restaurant, which was why she didn't care if her outfit matched or not) before opening the first drawer of her dresser to get clean underwear. Her fingers plunged inside and almost immediately fell on a hard object, which made the small fairy frown. It was strange: this drawer was supposed to contain only her panties and her bras. She curiously probed the foreign object with her fingers, for a second or two, before she dug through the clothing to extract it.

Her curious smile fell as her hand brought up the long but somewhat heavy item at eye level, recognizing without fail the iron rose Gazille had made for her, the night of their first _date_. She recalled putting it in this drawer in order not to lose it but mostly because she hadn't known where to put it in her room, and its existence had been forgotten until now. It really was a beautiful object that she would have had a very hard time believing the Dragon Slayer was able to craft, if she hadn't seen him do it.

She eyed it for a few seconds then, as if her body had a mind of its own, her hand brought it under her nose and she smelled it. Just like when she had done this gesture the first time, the scent reminded her of the black-haired man (not that the item itself hadn't done a good enough job for that already), sparking another flicker of frustration in her guts that was quickly joined by another feeling that felt like a heavy weight dropping in her stomach. She wasn't a fool, she was perfectly aware of the nature of this feeling that she couldn't ignore now that she was no longer blinded by her hormones-fueled rage; however, that didn't mean that she wanted to accept it.

Letting out a frustrated _Tch_ at the stupid reaction of her body, the bluenette walked the few feet separating her from her desk before stopping in front of her wastepaper basket. Her brown eyes fell on the iron rose in her right hand then on the basket; her hand moved to throw the item in but stopped mid-swing, in hesitation. Her stomach churned again with the feeling she didn't want to acknowledge but, with a scowl and her stubborn resentment, she ignored it before finally dropping the object, a nest of crumpled sheets of paper stifling the sound.

Levy turned around and resumed getting dressed without glancing back at the basket. It would be pointless to since she had just made a decision and it implied no longer needing to keep that object. After all, even though it hadn't been planned, this was a perfect opportunity to put a end to this masquerade and she would be stupid to not seize it.

She convinced herself that the squeeze-like feeling in her heart was due to her hunger.

* * *

><p>Friday morning, at the crack of dawn. Way before the first golden ray of light emerged from behind the tree tops of the East Forest and even before the first birds started singing, a lone figure had been awake, perched on a large branch of the biggest tree of South Gate Park. It was a male in his twenties, or so he seemed, with long, spiky black hair, eyes of a bloody color and slitted irises . On his tanned skin, several piercings shone with a subtle glow, giving the man a quite unique appearance and identifying him to the whole world as Gazille Redfox, the iron Dragon Slayer.<p>

Gazille was leaning against the trunk of the tree in a half-sitting position, one leg bent with the foot on the branch while the other was dangling in space, his heel knocking against the bark from time to time. He had crossed his arms over his chest and was currently staring at the still slumbering town in silence; the only sounds he could perceive were coming from the train station, a few blocks from here, where workers were busy preparing the first departure. Lily was still asleep, back at their shared apartment.

The reason the man was out there, by himself and at such an early hour, was that he had woken up at two in the morning in a completely rested body and had been unable to fall back asleep, no matter how many time he had tossed and turned in his bed. If he would have been by himself, he could have tinkered on something or another until it was late enough to go to the guild but, for the sake of his friend's sleep, he had wandered around town instead. He had only encountered a few drunks hugging walls or sleeping next to a dumpster, while his feet led him to the deserted park where he had finally decided to wait for the day to catch up to him.

Gazille usually liked it when it was calm and quiet, just like his cat did, which was one of Lily's best qualities, in his opinion. True, there were some moments where he could be quite loud himself, mostly when it involved a guild brawl or just an opportunity to annoy Salamander, but less noisy environments were by far his favorites. However, today wasn't the case. Right now, he would give anything to have the power to speed up time so the whole town would wake up and come alive, while making as much noise as possible. He wanted kids screaming in the streets, merchants advertising their goods at the market and even the fire Dragon Slayer making something big explode, all this for the sake of fighting off the oppressing lack of sound around him.

Because when there was nothing to listen to, he couldn't help but think. And, from the moment he had gone to bed, a whole twenty-eight hours ago, there was only one subject his brain had allowed him to think about to the point it had prevented him to fall asleep for a few hours.

He pushed a frustrated sigh, wearing one of his trademark scowl. It was all this damn Shrimp's fault, going fucking berserk on him for no good reasons! When he was about to walk her home, two nights ago, she had started screaming like a banshee, without warning, and sprouting crap about him supposedly thinking she was weak! And then, when he had asked her what was her damn problem, she had started insulting him, calling him _somethingpoop_... He had never heard of that word before, he didn't even know if it really existed, but he was smart enough to know it had been equivalent to one of the dirtiest curses he could come up with.

"Ungrateful bitch..." he muttered, even though he could have said it out loud, only some birds would have heard him. After everything he had done for her, this was apparently how she thanked him. _Tch_, why didn't she spit in his face, while she was at it?

One thing was sure: that was going to teach him to be nice and fucking concerned about her sorry ass. Dealing with this whole fake-dating thing had been far from being worth it: too many complains, problems and shit of the like, ever since the beginning. Freaking out about his bathroom, throwing an hissy fit about sleeping in his bed, trying to catch him on fire and then, treating him like shit when he had done nothing wrong were good examples. And it hadn't been the first time she did something like that; he clearly remembered her reaction when he had said she WASN'T wench material...

When it came to her, he didn't get it. She was just making absolutely no sense.

Gazille let out a bland snort before spitting in thin air without a care of where it would land. He couldn't decide if it was females in general that were all emotional time bombs or just his bad luck for having been paired with the craziest woman of the whole Fiore. It really was no wonder Shorty had never been with anyone until now: no one sane would want to deal with such a freak... and her fanboys just didn't know better. Or they were masochists. He liked to believe it was the second option even though he was pretty sure there was also a big dose of despair involved.

Anyway, unlike them, _he_ wasn't desperate at all; he never needed a female in his life before (at least, not on a regular basis) and it wasn't about to change anytime soon. This stupid scheme had confirmed it for him: he was way better off by himself. No more tantrums, no more mushy crap, no more playing nice guy. Starting now, it was only going to be Lily and him, just like before.

Shorty and her moronic plan could go to hell, he officially didn't give a damn anymore.

* * *

><p>While there had been a few gossips going on about the iron mage and the small fairy, the day before, it was nothing compared to the rumors that were currently spreading in the guild like the flu. Since this morning, everyone was convinced that Gazille and Levy had broken up. They all had a theory about what had happened and who was at fault; in most scenarios, Gazille was unsurprisingly to blame and some people were even ready to rip him a new one, if it turned out being true. Macao was doing his best to get everyone to calm down but the atmosphere was getting tenser and tenser as hours passed. It wouldn't be surprising, if a brawl was to break out.<p>

Master Makarov would have normally instituted order in the guild by now but he had left for a meeting with the Magic Council in company of Mirajane, early this morning, so the veteran mage was pretty much the only figure of authority left in the guild. Gildarts hadn't been seen since the day Master Makarov had tried to make him the fifth guild master, Erza was on a job and hadn't shown up at the guild yet and Laxus was quietly sitting at the bar and watching the commotion without a word, having stated that what was going on between the iron Dragon Slayer and the script mage wasn't any of his business and he wouldn't meddle in.

Lisanna was standing near Team Natsu, Team Shadow Gear and some others who were all commenting about the famous break up. Useless to say that Jet and Droy were livid: their faces were red from anger as they kept repeating that they had known Gazille was an asshole, that it had been just a matter of time before he made her cry and that they would make him regret it. Lucy was admitting to not know the exact circumstances but it was obvious with the gleam of anger in her eyes that she was inching more toward the _Levy was dumped by a stupid Gazille _theory. Wendy and Juvia were trying to defend the iron mage by saying that he wasn't a bad person and he would never purposely hurt Levy, while Gray was on both sides at once. He would first agree with Jet and Droy that Gazille might have screwed things up but then, he would play devil's advocate and say that Levy could also be the one to blame.

It was Natsu's reaction to the news that impressed Lisanna the most, though. Instead of picking a side, he kept chuckling as if what was happening was the funniest joke ever, only stopping to shove generous amount of food in his mouth. When she asked him why he was laughing, he simply grinned.

"Everyone is freaking out for nothing. Gazille and Levy won't break up anytime soon: they're crazy about each other."

He had answered with so much conviction that it had sounded like the most obvious statement of the whole universe and she wanted to believe it without a doubt. Even though she knew the true meaning behind the _lovers_ relationship, she couldn't help wishing things between them would grow more serious, with no more pretending. She had a mental snort at the idea, did Mira-nee start to have an influence on her?

"They haven't showed up at the guild for two days straight and Levy-chan doesn't answer when we knock at her door at Fairy Hills," said Lucy with her bottom lips stuck out in a disapproving pout and a frown. "Something happened between them, it's obvious."

"It's just a little fight, they'll make up," the young man replied before stuffing his face with spaghetti.

"How can you be so sure of that?"

Natsu shrugged before answering, his mouth still full of food.

"Gashille would ha' never shtarted datin' Levy if he washn sherioush about it. Shame thin' wit' Levy."

Lucy and Lisanna both made a disgusted face at the sight of the remains of Natsu's lunch; the stellar mage slapped him behind the head for being so gross, making him swallow at last.

"Disgusting..." she muttered before going back to the subject. "Still, it's the first time they ignore each other for such a long time. They normally would have made up, by now."

"They will, Lucy," he answered again with a look that said _Are you stupid? _and exactly the same tone he had used when talking about Laxus at the event of Fantasia: completely devoid of doubt. "Trust me. Iron face is too addicted to his mate to give up on her."

_His mate._ Those words struck Lisanna as if they were the key to some unknown door. Natsu had no way to know the truth about Gazille and Levy, however, the way he was speaking of them, it was like he knew something that she didn't. It was as if he had read into their hearts and knew their deepest feelings for each other; even though the idea of Natsu, _Mr. Dense_ himself, being perceptive was a bit ridiculous.

"How do you know that?" the white-haired woman asked her friend, wondering if the iron Dragon Slayer had told him something hinting at genuine feelings for the bluenette. Natsu simply grinned again, his eyes twinkling knowingly; it was obvious that, to his eyes, what he was saying was the truth, even if she had no idea what proved his point. She couldn't help the smile growing on her lips because she really wished he was right about their friends, prompting her to think about a way she could help Fate reuniting these two stubborn but adorable lovers.

And she knew exactly who would help her doing just that.

* * *

><p>In the afternoon, Levy took advantage of most of the girls' absences from the dormitory to sneak out of her room and head out to a convenience store, to get something to eat at home. For two days, the bluenette had been avoiding the guild for obvious reasons: not only she hadn't been in the mood to deal with people that would ask her again and again if Gazille and her had fought but the prospect of meeting the Dragon Slayer in question wasn't very appealing neither. While, at first, she had been enraged every time she had thought about him, now she was stuck with the stupid weight in her guts born from, she hated to admit it, the shame and guilt of having chewed his head off because she was PMS-ing, which was mixed with some frustration leftovers kept alive by her ego; all this together resulted as her feeling half-guilty, half-sulky, alternately. Useless to say that, if she was to face Gazille, in her current state, it would only get worse for her.<p>

With her arms full of ramen cups and granola bars, the small fairy was making her way back to the safety of her room where she would spend more time with her precious books and pretend to not hear when girls knocked on her door to ask her if she was alright. She wasn't really paying attention to her surrounding, too busy hurrying up to escape the storm that announced itself, and, because of that, she never saw Lucy coming toward her. It was only when her friend placed a hand on her shoulder and said her name that she blinked and finally noticed her.

"Hi, Levy," the blond mage said with a modest smile to which she answered by lifting the corners of her mouth slightly upwards.

"Hey."

"How are you doing? We haven't seen you at the guild for a while."

Lucy's eyes were shining with knowledge; just as Levy had expected, her friend knew about the fight.

"I'm great," she answered with as much conviction as she could manage but she knew that Lu-chan wouldn't get fooled by it. Her hair was a mess, so was her t-shirt and her short, which wrinkled appearance betrayed the fact she had slept in them; that was without mentioning the nice little bags hanging under her eyes.

"I'm glad to hear it, I've been worried about you, you know?" said the stellar mage, while taking one of her friend's bags full of cheap supplies and walk with her toward the dormitory. Levy followed her without a word, feeling a bit guilty for worrying her best friend. Yes, she hadn't really wanted to face the others while she was _breaking up_ with Gazille but she didn't want them to be unnecessarily concerned about her neither.

They made it back to her room that was currently far from being presentable to a guest, with clothes lying around and remains of previous lunches on her desk and dresser. With a little blush, the bluenette tried to tidy up a bit but, to her relief, Lu-chan didn't mind the mess and simply unpacked the groceries on a little table on which sat a coffee machine that had been running almost non-stop for the last two days. A short while later, when both young women were comfortably sitting on the bed, each with a cup of steaming ramens in hand, the blond mage gave the small fairy a compassionate smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Levy shrugged, her eyes cast down as she stirred the ramens in her cup with her chopsticks. If Lucy would have asked her this question two days ago, when the adrenaline was still running in her veins, she certainly would have taken a lot of pleasure in badmouthing the iron mage, using every single words she knew to tarnish his reputation. But now, she was feeling too guilty to be mean to him. On top of that, talking about it wouldn't change a thing about the decision she had made earlier. This relationship had came to an end, like it had been planned to.

A moment passed when the small fairy didn't say a word and the stellar mage patiently waited for her to be ready; the only sound they could hear was the thunder rumbling outside. Levy eventually pushed a sigh, opened her mouth and started speaking about her visit to Gazille's apartment, the argument she had had with him in the middle of the night, the way he had threatened her to sleep in his bed, menaced to bolt her to the wall if she refused to sleep and finally, the fight at the festival that had resulted in a lot of yelling and cursing from both parts.

When she was done, the bluenette still didn't meet her friend's eyes; she kept playing with her untouched ramens. Lucy was looking at her with raised eyebrows; a short moment passed before she spoke.

"I see. So, if I understand well, you guys fought because Gazille wanted to... walk you home?" It was obvious by her tone that she failed to understand how having your boyfriend walk you home was supposed to be a bad thing.

"Well... yes..." Levy reluctantly admitted. Hearing it out loud from Lu-chan's mouth made it sound like she had freaked out for nothing. The little voice in her head pipped in by saying that it was exactly the case but her ego stubbornly refused to acknowledge it and prompted her to defend herself. "Actually, it's not exactly that," she replied, "Gazille said that I needed an escort to go back home, that I couldn't go by myself, even though it was just a ten minutes walk from the festival."

Lucy smiled knowingly.

"Aw, what a gentleman. Never would have thought that of him." Seeing Levy's eyes growing wide in irritation, she whipped the smile off her face and pursued. "But, erh... I mean, I don't see why it's a bad thing, Levy-chan. It's very common for a man to walk his lover home. It's a guy thing, you know."

"Yeah but you don't get it," the small fairy huffed with a roll of the eyes, " Gazille was overreacting. He thought that I was going to get abducted by that guy who used to stalk me and-"

The stellar mage gave a start, looking at her with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"St-stalk? You used to be stalked?"

Oh, right. She had never told Lucy about the stalker. The script mage winced as she explained, waving a dismissing hand.

"Yeah... But it was a long time ago-"

"How come? What happened? Is he still out there?" Lucy was growing more agitated, the more questions she asked.

"Erh, I think, yes. He was in prison when we disappeared with Tenrou Island but I think he's out now."

"WHAT?"

It didn't take a genius to understand that it hadn't been the right thing to say... Levy blamed this lack of common sense on too much coffee and not enough sleep.

"OH MY GOSH! THAT MEANS HE COULD BE ANYWHERE!" Lucy started looking left and right in panic, going even as far as trying to check under the bed to see if someone was hiding there.

"No, no, no, no, Lu-chan, relax!" the bluenette said while waving her hands in front of her to calm her friend. "There's no one under my bed and there's no need to freak out about this because he is not going to come back after me, okay? It happened almost ten years ago, it's history, now."

The blond took a couple of long breath to calm down but Levy could clearly see in her eyes that she was now on her guard.

"How come you never told me about it?" She finally asked her.

The small fairy sighed.

"Well... It's not something I like to talk about."

"Yeah, I guess," Lucy conceded with a tilt of the head. They fell silent again, both of them thinking about this revelation, until the blond mage resumed talking in a soft voice.

"You know, Levy-chan, considering this, I don't think Gazille was wrong to have acted the way he did."

Even though she was perfectly aware that Lu-chan was telling the truth, she couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed at her words. Wasn't there a unspoken rule saying that your best friend should always take your side?

"Gazille believed that I was too weak to take care of myself," she retorted, growing more fierce, "that I absolutely needed someone to hide behind, as if I was some kind of kid. I am not a child, Lu-chan, I can watch after myself, just like anyone else in Fairy Tail. And to prove my point, I actually did walk back home by myself, that night, and survived! Gazille couldn't just expect me to stop living normally because of something that happened so long ago."

"I see your point," Lucy nodded solemnly, "but I'm sure that Gazille doesn't believe you're weak. You could be strong like Erza and I'm sure he would have reacted the same. Do you know why? Because he cares about you and it's only natural to be concerned about the safety of someone you love if you know they could be in potential danger."

Lucy let those words hanging between them, allowing the bluenette to let them sink in her mind. None of this was a scoop for her, she had been perfectly aware that Gazille's intentions had been purely for her sake. However, it made no sense to her. There had been no one around them, at the moment; he hadn't needed to pretend to be concerned about her. And yet, he had and she just couldn't understand why. It wasn't like he really cared, right? It wasn't like he had real feelings for her or anything, right?

No, surely not.

"I... I know," the bluenette let out a defeated sigh. "I know that he only wanted to do what was right but... Hearing him say that I couldn't deal with it by myself got me mad and... since I was PMS-ing, it got out of hand." She had finally admitted it and the tiny bit of frustration left in her evaporated.

The blond mage gave her a compassionate smile.

"Well, that explains it; I thought it was weird of you to get so angry at him just for that. But the good news is that you can easily patch things up with Gazille; all you need to do is to go see him and apologize. He'll understand."

The small fairy avoided her friend's eyes.

"I can't do that," she said in a quiet voice.

"Why not?"

Because she had been unfair to him and he was probably very angry at her for that. Because she was ashamed of the way she had acted with him and was scared of his reaction if she went to see him. Because this fight had given them the perfect opportunity to break up and apologizing would mess it up. And, also, she was pretty sure that he was more than happy that they were no longer together. She could almost see him skipping around and cheering for his recovered freedom, the thought inexplicably squeezing her heart.

"It won't change anything either I apologize or not," she explained. "It's too late, we've already broken up."

"Don't say that," Lucy shook her head, "it's not too late to make up with him. You still love him, right?"

Just like anytime someone said that word, Levy froze on the spot. Love was such a strong word, in her opinion, that deserved some kind of respect, that she just couldn't lie about. Saying _I love you_ while not believing it... She just couldn't and that was why she hadn't said it even once since the beginning of this scheme.

"Well... I..."

Her face was growing hotter as she fought to find the words. She really was unable to say yes but her heart was still skipping a beat or two at the thought. She was confused. She was such an emotional mess, today.

"Give me one good reason you can't make up with Gazille," Lucy said while crossing her arms.

The script mage gave her a good look and seriously wondered if it would be a good idea to tell her the truth. Never did she have the intention to break her promise to Gazille about not telling anyone, at least, not before a long time would have passed after their _break up_, but right now, the idea seemed very good. Lucy would probably (certainly) freak out a bit about the craziness of this all but maybe after the shock, she would help her get over it.

...But it was also possible that she would try to match her with Gazille for real, since she knew her friend had been secretly fan of her being paired with the iron Dragon Slayer, way before this whole thing started. In the novel she was writing, there was these two characters, Debbie and Guile, that were suspiciously similar to Gazille and herself in terms of personalities and background who ended up together after saving their hometown from a megalomaniac.

No. For the moment, she would keep her secret. She'd wait after it was all over to talk about it, just in case.

"He never really liked hugging, holding hands and kissing," Levy offered in explanation, which was not entirely a lie, "and, sometime, he complained about being stuck doing stuff with me instead of doing jobs. Now that we're no longer together, he's free to do as he pleases. I know that he's happy to be single again."

Lucy made a pout and rolled her eyes.

"Nonsense! I'll bet you whatever you want that he liked your hugs and kisses much more than he let you know; believe me, we all saw the way he would kiss you, he was totally enjoying it, every single time."

The bluenette couldn't suppress the rush of blood going to her cheeks at those words.

"Beside, you were far from being a very demanding girlfriend; it shouldn't have been that bad for him."

"...Yeah, I guess."

"But, seriously, Levy-chan," the stellar mage added, "you should talk to him. If you still love him, you have to do your best to save your couple."

The small fairy let out a long sigh and dropped her gaze on her lap again. She had no idea what she really wanted. A part of her wanted to go apologize so it would come back to the way it was with Gazille and Lily, while the other one kept reminding her that the iron mage and her had only been pretending and this was the perfect time to end their fake relationship. She knew she had to make up her mind but both options were awfully tempting and discouraging, at the same time.

"I'll think about it," Levy ended up whispering, half-heartedly cursing herself for coming up with the idea of fake-dating Gazille. If she had known it would be so complicated and confusing...

* * *

><p>"So, it's official?"<p>

"Yep."

"You're sure you don't want to reconsider? It's not too late, you know."

"Absolutely certain, Lily. I ain't dealing with this shit anymore."

The black exceed frowned, particularly displeased with the discussion he was currently having with his partner. When he had joined with his friend, earlier today, he had finally been able to ask him about the famous fight between Levy and him, wishing to get answers to his questions in order to solve the problem and get these two back together. However, while he had expected Gazille to be reticent to explain what had happened and to not want to open up at the idea of a reconciliation, he sure had _never_ expected himself to come face to face with a very calm Dragon Slayer. The man in question had given him a summary of the argument before telling him, again in a surprisingly calm voice, that he would not try to make up with the script mage. That she and him were officially _broken up_.

A Gazille Redfox acting all calm and composed in a situation where he would normally be yelling, cursing, kicking, punching, chopping and many other verbs of the like... That was weird. And wrong. Lily had to do something.

"You know, I agree with you that Levy had been a bit unfair with you," Gazille snorted at the words _a bit_, "but don't you think it's a petty excuse to put an end to things with her? You guys had worse fights, in the past, and none of them had been enough to make you consider signing out of this relationship."

The iron mage, who was walking at his side in the middle of East Forest in search of wildfowls for a client, shook his head.

"I probably had my share of blame, back then, I admit it, but, this time, I had done nothing to deserve being treated like that. She got what was coming to her, if you ask me."

"Still, you guys fought because she refused to have someone walk her home. This is not serious."

"_Tch_, you should go tell her that... Anyway, who cares about a serious reason or not, this fight arrived at a perfect time. We'd have broken up, a few days later, anyway."

Gazille made a few steps to his right where he stopped and crouched in front of two small trees. He produced a long string of iron that he bent into a snare and placed between the two trunks. Hopefully, they would catch something with it.

"What about Mirajane?" Lily asked, after a moment. "I recall you said you would have to _date_," he made quotation marks with his paws, "for at least two weeks to make it believable but it hadn't been that long yet. Won't it ruin all the efforts you made, if you break up so soon?"

For a fraction of a second, Gazille's body tensed in an almost imperceptible manner, to the exceed' satisfaction. True, it wasn't exactly the way he had wished the conversation would go but there was a chance it would lead them in the right direction.

"The barmaid will have to accept reality," the iron mage answered as he stood up. "Shorty and I aren't compatible."

The black cat raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You could have fooled me, you know."

The man, who had been on his way toward another spot to place a trap, stopped in his track.

"That was the point of the whole thing, Lily," he told him over his shoulder. "It was fake, it always was."

The cat raised an eyebrow; he had the distinct impression that Gazille knew what he was thinking about but simply refused to acknowledge the idea. For a while now, even before the beginning of this _fake-dating_ thing, Lily hadn't made a lot of effort to hide his opinion about Levy and the iron Dragon Slayer, his opinion being that these two wouldn't be a bad match in the prospect of a real relationship. After all, they had a lot in common and their opposite traits were complementary but the man in question was always denying feeling anything for the bluenette.

Lily wasn't buying it; he knew that, deep down, the small fairy had much more worth to the iron mage's eyes that he pretended, or seemed to be aware of, but he was so stubborn that the cat would need to bent himself backwards to make him realize it.

"Won't you miss her?" he asked him, after a short while.

Gazille let out a snort devoid of any humor, swiping at a low tree branch blocking his path.

"Missing receiving fireballs in my face, you mean? Not really."

"She already apologized for that fireball," the exceed pointed out, "beside, you wouldn't have been treated this way if you had woken her up more nicely."

He received a scowl at that.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be on my side?" his human friend growled. Lily popped out his wings and flew up at his eye level.

"I am, which is why I'm doing my best to get you back on track. I want to know if it's really alright with you to be on bad terms with Levy, from now on."

Gazille frowned.

"Why wouldn't it?"

Lily blinked, understanding that he would have to spell it out for him.

"Because she's the first person you've ever let get close to you and you care about her."

Gazille's eyes widened slightly; to anyone else, it wouldn't have been noticeable but Lily wasn't just anyone else.

"I _don't care_ about her," he answered stubbornly with hints of frustration in his voice, "I was just playing my part, as she was, and now that this whole shit is over, I can finally go on with my life. I'm _fucking glad_ to be done with this and, to be honest, my only regret is to not have ended it sooner."

The exceed shook his head; of course, he didn't believe a single word Gazille just said but he unfortunately didn't get the opportunity to argue more on the matter. At this moment, as if the Gods had decided to side with the stubborn iron mage in his quest for denial, the sky loudly rumbled with the promise of thunder, making the exceed freeze on the spot and shot his head upwards to witness the dark gray clouds that had overtaken the sky without him noticing. He then realized that not only he had started shaking but he would have dropped on the ground, if Gazille hadn't just caught him in mid-air.

"_Tch_, looks like we can forget about catching those damn birds..." said the man as he stared at the sky, his best friend nested in the crook of his arm. The heavens growled again, like an enraged beast, making Lily shudder and flatten his ears on his head with his paws, his mind completely emptied of his previous thoughts and worries in favor of his horrible fear of thunder. The black-haired man scratched behind his ear in a comforting manner, speaking in a much softer voice contrasting with the one he had been using mere seconds ago.

"Come on, let's go home."

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> :3 thx for reading! (btw i just realized that i'm posting chapter 13 and today is Friday the 13th... oooh, concept!)


	14. Rescue Plan

**Author's notes:** and up with next chapter! I hope it will be to your liking :3

enjoy!

(My name is not Mashima. You guys know what that means.)

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><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 14 Rescue plan**

For the next two days, Levy accepted to show up at the guild, at Lucy's demand. At first, the bluenette was unsurprisingly asked by everyone about the famous fight between her and the iron mage but, fortunately, the stellar mage quickly made everyone understand that Levy didn't want to talk about it and they grudgingly accepted to not bother her on that subject. She was very grateful for her friend's initiative because every mention of his name was like a punch in the stomach; she was also grateful for the fact that Mirajane wouldn't be there for a few days. That would give her time to _digest_ the situation before having to deal with the barmaid.

Because of the stormy weather, she was stuck at the guild with pretty much everyone else. Of course, most fairies used this opportunity to party like crazy. The sight of her friends acting normally brought a smile on her face however, since she did not drink, she felt slightly left out, even though she was never left alone for more than a minute or two. When it wasn't Lu-chan asking her advice for her novel or Jet and Droy talking her into a game, it would be Chico and Nab coming to chat with her about their favorite author's latest horror novel. The bluenette recognized their efforts to make her feel better but it was never enough to make her not notice the iron mage's absence.

She was still mentally debating about how she should react if she saw him. A part of her was eager to apologize but the other one was terrified of coming face-to-face with him. She wanted to go see him at his apartment but also wanted to run back to the safety of her room and not come out for another couple of days, if not forever. Every time she would walk outside, either back home or to her favorite bookstore, she barely noticed her surrounding. The sound of her shaken heart would beat in her ears and the guilt and sadness would pool at the base of her throat in a ball that she couldn't swallow. She didn't remember feeling this lonely in her life before, beside when, back in her early childhood, she had lost her parents.

"Is this what a break up feels like?" she whispered to herself with a bitter smile, shambling along the deserted street on her way back home with her head hidden under a bright yellow umbrella.

The small fairy had no way to know that she wasn't the only one outside by this horrible weather. Thirty feet above ground, a tall black-haired man was sitting on the handrail of a large two-story house's balcony, sheltered from the rain by a rooftop. His arms were propped on his knees, the left one dangling lazily while the right one was propping his head up. In his mouth, a sheet of metal that used to be a license plate or something of the like was being chewed without much enthusiasm.

Gazille let his ruby-colored eyes follow the bright yellow spot moving toward Fairy Hills, which was located one mile away on his left. The street was pretty much devoid of life, thanks to the downpour that had overtaken the area for almost three days now, and the almost black sky preventing the sun to shine, making the city of Magnolia twice as dark as it should be, at this hour. It was only thanks to his heightened sight that he could still see her walk with tiny lazy steps, seemingly not in any hurry to escape the rain; of course, the unusual color of her umbrella was also of great help.

When the bluenette disappeared behind a corner, the Dragon Slayer was surprised to notice his body had started to move to follow her. He quickly prevented himself from jumping down from his perch and sat back in his previous position, scolding himself for having reacted this way at her sight. It wasn't the first time he saw her, in the last two days. He had been hanging around the guild, while never going inside and never letting anyone see him, and he couldn't help spotting the bright blue wavy mop of hair belonging to the Shrimp, every time he looked by a window. He would never fail to curse himself afterward but, the moment she moved or smiled, his eyes would inevitably glue themselves back on her without his consent; that was the same thing when she would go outside the guild, either toward the dormitory or her favorite bookstore, his gaze would follow her until she disappeared from his sight.

Lily had been staying at home ever since their little trip in the forest, keeping himself busy with cleaning and a billion other things he claimed needed to be done in the apartment, even though the iron mage suspected it was simply an excuse to not go out in the rain and another potential thunderstorm. Staying inside the flat had made Gazille feel claustrophobic, probably because he had spent a few days there after the event at the festival, so he had decided to seek some fresh air and enjoy the newfound freedom he had claimed being so happy to have back. However, with all the rain, there hadn't been a lot of things he could do to entertain himself and that was why he had found himself sitting on this secluded spot and observing the young woman more often than he liked to admit.

Gazille hated himself for being unable to resist the strange need he had to see her but he couldn't help it. The _Lily-ish_ voice in his head kept nagging him about her whereabouts and her safety, making his guts twist unpleasantly when he couldn't answer the questions but making him grit his teeth in frustration when he _could_ answer. Because when he could tell where she was and what she was doing, it meant he had been paying attention to her, which was pretty similar to caring, which was NOT a good thing when one was telling himself that he didn't give a damn anymore.

And he really didn't give a damn anymore, okay? He didn't. Not that he had ever cared about her for real, in the past, because it had never been the case. No matter what his cat said about that.

He scoffed. His cat sure was lucky to be his best friend and the only person he really cared about because he would have made him regret his strange innuendos, a long time ago. He wasn't dumb, he was perfectly aware that Lily liked the idea of the Shorty and him being together, with all the love, mush and other crap it implied. He couldn't see, for the life of him, what Lily seemed to see in him that would make a good lover. Lucky for him, his cat was far from being as impulsive and obsessed as the Demon Barmaid; he always contented himself with some teasing and snickering, but it was still quite annoying having to explain to him, again and again, that the Shrimp and him weren't in love. Even though Lily hadn't spoken a word about that ever since the discussion they had had in the forest, his astraphobia having helped for that, Gazille knew it was only a matter of time before he would approach the subject with him again. He wasn't looking forward to it.

It wasn't like it would really change anything to the situation if they talked about it. Even if his anger had greatly subdued since the fight, he was still not interested in making up with the Shorty and even less trying to have a _romantic_ affair with her (the word almost made him gag). At first, he had been pissed with her to the point he wouldn't have trusted himself to keep his cool, if he had seen her again. Then, he had been more annoyed than anything and still a bit angry but he had decided to not play her game anymore, which had prompted him to detach himself and adopt a neutral attitude. His plan was to keep his distance with her for a while until everything would come back to normal... or close to normal, considering it was Fairy Tail they were talking about. He would do his things, she would do hers, the others would mind their own businesses and things would arrange themselves. Just like planned.

But then, before he knew it, he had ended up sitting there, in front of the guild, while his eyes had inevitably searched for her sky-blue hair. And it had happened more than once, in the last two days. He would call himself a dumbass every time and try to find something else to do, while doing his best to ignore the _Lily-ish_ voice ringing between his ears and the twist in his guts, but, so far, not to avail.

He grabbed the remains of the plate he had been chewing for a while now, pulling his tongue out in disgust. The taste was far from being appealing. Even though it used to be in good state, he couldn't help noticing the lack of purity of its material, which left a sour taste in his mouth. In the past, he would have never complained about such a detail but having been granted access to top quality iron whenever he had wanted had spoiled him. That was one thing he admitted (to himself) to miss from his association with the Bookworm: unlimited source of tasty and pure iron. After tasting that on a regular basis, eating normal metal was like eating low-grade beef when you had been fed triple A _filet mignon_ for a good part of your life. Awfully deceiving.

His head turned to his left where, in the far distance, he could see the outlines of the dormitory. He kept his eyes on it, waiting to spot the yellow umbrella that would announce him that she had made it back home safely. He waited and waited, the moment probably lasted less than two minutes, but he never saw her and he started feeling bad. Had she made it while he hadn't been looking? What if it wasn't the case? What if she had been abducted by a rapist on the way? Or by that guy who used to stalk her?

Yet again, Gazille had to prevent himself from leaving his seat, both hands had gripped the handrails with enough force to turn his knuckles white. What was he doing? He wasn't supposed to give a damn about her anymore, there was no reason for him to go play bodyguards. It wasn't any of his business what happened to her, now.

_Admit it: you think I'm too weak to take care of myself!_

That was what she had said to him, that night; those words had started the fight. He frowned at the memory but dwelt on the meaning of her words. Could it be possible that she had been right? Was he really not believing she could manage by herself? He didn't think she was weak; the _Solid Script: Fire_ he had received in his face, a few days ago, was proof enough of her strength. Sure, she wasn't a fighter, she would always solve things peacefully, if she could, and was capable of forgiving even the worst sin but he knew that if she wanted, she could be a fierce opponent. As she had said, she was a mage of Fairy Tail. She wasn't helpless.

But if he didn't think she was weak, why did he feel uneasy every time he saw her walk by herself? Why couldn't he keep himself from watching her by the window just to reassure himself that she was alright? It made no sense. It wasn't like he cared.

His eyes flickered to the horizon again. No yellow spot. He frowned at the guts twisting sensation that sent a sour taste at the back of his throat.

He cursed out loud; his brain was so fucked up.

* * *

><p>Sunday night, eleven pm. The doors of the number one guild of Fiore had just locked themselves for the night, as they did on a regular day. However, it wasn't as deserted as it should be; inside the kitchen, several oil lamps were diffusing a soft light, allowing the few people present to see each others. They were half a dozen, all members of Fairy Tail and also members of another secret group: the Romantic Squad.<p>

At one end of the huge island unit sitting at the center of the kitchen, a woman with a long mane of blood-red hair stood with both hands propped on the wooden surface, her vibrant brown eyes looking at her companions with determination.

"Ladies... and cat," she added after a slight pause, nodding at a black exceed standing at her left, "I've contacted you tonight because, when I came back today, it came to my attention that something terrible had happened, while I was away. Apparently, there has been serious changes in the relation between Levy and Gazille."

Lisanna confirmed it with a nod as Erza continued.

"Now, has any of you got substantial information on the fight?"

Lucy raised her hand before explaining.

"I spoke with Levy, two days ago: Gazille and her argued on something, at the festival, and they haven't spoken to each other since then."

"What was it about?"

The blond mage made an anxious grimace, as if she didn't want to talk about it.

"Uhm... I don't know if it's alright for me to say it. He wanted to walk her home but she didn't want him to. She thought that he thought that she was too weak to walk back home by herself."

Her words prompted various reactions from the others.

"That's it?" asked Cana, her lips kissing the neck of a bottle of vodka, "That's so lame."

"Gazille-kun was only trying to be a gentleman," Juvia made a pout, giving an accusing look at Lucy as if she was the one who had objected to the iron mage's help.

"I know, that's exactly what I told her," the stellar mage retorted, waving both hands to defend herself.

"That confirms what he told me," Lily said pensively, crossing his paws over his chest. "He said she had started accusing him of denigrating her when he had insisted to have someone walk her home. And then, as you can expect, he answered by yelling and it degenerated."

"Okay, but why did he want her to be escorted that much?" Lisanna asked, giving the exceed a questioning look to which he answered with a shrug. He had no idea; he had actually believed Gazille was being protective of the small fairy, even though he firmly denied it. That and also a bit pig-headed.

"Because that was obviously the right thing to do," the water mage answered seriously before her face melted in a dreaming state, "When Juvia will be Gray-sama's girlfriend, you can be sure that Juvia will walk him home, every single time."

A collective silence occurred but Juvia never noticed it, she was too lost in her fantasy about the ice mage. Then Lucy cleared her throat.

"I... I think I know why he did." She marked a pause, eyeing Erza for a second. "She told him about the stalker..."

The knight mage's eyes widened, just like everyone else present in the room. The only difference was that Cana and Erza seemed to be more scared than surprised.

"A stalker?" whispered the young Take Over mage. She had never heard about it; she supposed that it had happened after her disappearance. But it wasn't the case for everyone: Cana, for instance, grew stiff in spite that she was still half-sprawled on the island unit.

"That bastard came back?" she growled, her eyes wide and her knuckles turning white on her bottle.

"No, Cana," the blond mage shook her head, "she simply told him the story of what he did to her but, ever since then, he refused to let her walk home by herself."

"Juvia thinks Gazille-kun did the right thing!" the bluenette immediately retorted.

"I know, that's what I told her," Lucy replied to defend herself again from Juvia's accusing glare, thinking that the blue-haired mage was taking this whole _rival thing _too seriously. Most of the others were discussing about the rights and wrongs of the fight that had separated their new loving couple. While Pantherlily was thinking how Gazille's offended attitude toward Levy, that night, was now perfectly making sense, Erza had started making plans for the future. She raised both hands, her gesture prompting the others to fall silent.

"Has Mirajane learned about this?"

"Yes," answered Lisanna, "when she left with Master Makarov, both Gazille and Levy hadn't shown up at the guild for two days. She was suspecting that something had happened between them."

The knight mage nodded.

"We can all agree that, if they were to break up, Mirajane would be inconsolable, which is why we'll do something to make sure it never happen," she said in a no-nonsense voice, tapping a bossy finger on the counter.

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"The thing is: Gazille clearly told me that Levy and him were already broken up."

"Levy said the same thing," Lucy added, "not that she would be against a reconciliation but she believes that he doesn't want to be with her again."

In front of the females' inquiring look, the exceed allowed himself a smirk.

"He said he's not interested but I'm pretty sure a push in the right direction would make him change his mind. I know he's been doing nothing much beside hanging near the guild, for the past days."

Erza made a curt _hum_.

"Then, we'll push him. No way I'll let him ruin his chances with Levy without doing anything," she said with determination, her fists propped on her hips.

The Romantic Squad cheered at the statement, Lily chuckled but, after a moment, everyone started exchanging looks.

"That's one thing to say that but..." Lucy said. "How do we do that?"

"We write a love letter to both of them, making them believe that it's from each other," suggested Juvia but Lily shook his head.

"It could be plausible coming from Levy but you can be sure that Gazille would _never _write a love letter, a fact Levy is surely aware of."

Lucy huffed, blowing her bang upwards. She had been about to suggest that, herself, if Juvia hadn't beaten her to it.

"Then what? We wait for them to make up? It might take forever! Or it might never happen."

"Levy is too afraid of being rejected and Gazille is too stubborn," said Lisanna with a bitter smile, "they won't move if we don't help them."

For a moment, the group simply looked left and right, muttering ideas that never satisfied them until...

"Just shove them naked in a closet, dammit," slurred Cana who had seemingly reached the bottom of her bottle of vodka (not the first one, judging by the several empty containers in front of her), "and wait for the magic of _luuuv_ to operate," she added with a drunk grin, her head propped in her hand.

A couple of blushes appeared under their stunned stares but no one objected to the idea.

* * *

><p>It was a good thing that Levy just had a somewhat good night sleep because, when a sharp knock shook her door and a grim-looking Erza came inside her room, crossing her literature paradise in three steps, she knew that there would be no more snoozing for her, on this very <em>very<em> early Monday morning. The bluenette barely had time to slip into a green pinafore dress chosen by the scarlet-haired woman, who stated that they were too much in a hurry to take the time to choose something else, which was ironic considering this dress hadn't been the most accessible outfit she owned and also a bit too cute for everyday clothing, before she was literally taken to the guild. On the way, she managed to get a few words of explanation from her friend; something about a coded book, back at the guild, that she absolutely needed to translate NOW.

Normally, Levy would have been a bit suspicious of being manhandled like this, especially when the sun wasn't quite up yet, but she didn't have a single drop of caffeine in her system and she knew Erza wasn't the kind to joke about such matters so she didn't complain and let herself being taken to the huge familiar building and, more precisely, inside the waiting room, situated between the library and the storage room. Her friend told her to wait there, assuring her that she would see why she was here for, very soon; Levy hoped some coffee would also be included in the deal.

The small fairy sat on one of the four elegant cream-colored sofas disposed around the coffee table. At her left was the door leading to the restaurant area, while at her right, the furthest wall was entirely made of huge windows that allowed the soft morning light to illuminate the room. A long moment passed and the lack of sound adding to the comfortable sofa she was sitting on made her sleepy. Her hands were joined on her lap as her back sank into the soft pillows behind her, her head swaying slightly as she fought off the need to close her eyes. She apparently failed at doing so because, the next thing she knew, a loud crashing sound shook her awake, making her sit upright, her eyes swiping around the room in confusion and panic until they fell on a huge black shape sprawled on the coffee table. It was Gazille who had seemingly been thrown in the room without much care by most probably Erza, if she translated the various curses and death threats the man was growling and spitting as he jumped back on his feet and rushed to the door. It was unsurprisingly closed and locked; his fists banging against it useless since it was magic-proof, as were every single doors and windows of the guild. Theoretically, she could rewrite the code of its magic but she would need her magic pen and a couple of reference books to do so. Anyway, even with those, she knew she wouldn't be able to do anything; her body had frozen the moment she had recognized him and her eyes were glued on his broad shoulders, her heartbeat loudly beating in her ears.

Gazille eventually stopped trashing against the door but he didn't turn around. She knew why: because she was in the room and he had noticed her, either by seeing her from the corner of the eye or smelling her or whatever... He knew that she was there, that they were locked in this room together and that it had been planned. Levy supposed that she should have seen it coming; even though Mirajane was away for a couple of days, the others were still around and, as she had just witnessed, they seemingly didn't accept her break up with the iron mage. She knew Erza could be an helpless romantic but she would have never expected her to go to such lengths to get what she wanted.

The Dragon Slayer had propped his right fist on the door, his rigid back pointedly turned toward her, unmoving. She could see his other hand tightly balled into a fist as well, at his side, and hear him breath by the nose in what she guessed was a self-controlling manner. As for her, her lungs had seemingly stopped working, while her heart was beating so loudly that she couldn't hear anything else. Her guts twisted like a spinning washing machine; feelings of dread, embarrassment, sadness and excitement were all battling for the first place inside her. Her fingers started aching and she saw why when she lowered her eyes on them; they were wrung together so tightly that there was probably no more blood in them.

The sound of something heavy walking around caught her attention. She raised the eyes to see Gazille crossing the short distance separating him from the wall in front of her, where he leaned with his back against it and his arms crossed over his chest, at probably the furthest spot from her he could find. His ruby orbs pointedly avoided looking at her but she still dropped her gaze back on her lap anyway. Her cheeks started burning with shame and embarrassment; she knew he didn't want to see her, that he wished he wouldn't have to be in the same room than her. She couldn't honestly blame him: she had acted in a despicable manner, back then, and the guilt had been literally eating her, for the past four days.

They stayed in silence for a long moment. The iron Dragon Slayer was throwing daggers at the door but, more precisely, at the red-haired woman he knew was still standing outside, probably with her ear glued to the wooden surface in hope of catching snippets of conversations between them. She was wasting her time; nothing was going to happen between the Shorty and him, no matter how long she planned on leaving them here. He subtly glanced at said woman from the corner of the eye. He took on the cute green dress she was wearing (he wasn't an expert but he believed the style was called Lolita) and the white bandanna in her blue flocks that matched with the white ribbons tied on her outfit. That was awfully fancy for everyday clothing and he wondered if this whole abducting thing he had just experienced could have been her idea. His instinct quickly answered in the negative; when he had been forcefully thrown inside this room, she had been looking so surprised of seeing him that it was highly unlikely that she could have asked Titania to bring him here. It had probably been the knight mage's idea, actually, and he suspected his cat could also have had a part to play in this. It was Lily who had urged him to come to the guild at five o'clock so they could pick a job before the others arrived; the fact that he couldn't hear him complain to Erza or try to get him out of this room confirmed his suspicions.

Gazille estimated that they had been locked here for at least twenty minutes, the sunlight coming by the huge windows was brighter than before. Levy still hadn't said a word and he had seriously no idea if he should say something or not; she was the expert at socializing, not him. Anyway, with the way they had parted last time, he was pretty sure that she wasn't interested in having a chat with him. She was purposely not looking at him and an aura of apprehension was emanating from her; it didn't take a genius to understand that she was still pissed at him. He seriously couldn't blame her; after taking the time to think about it, yesterday, he was now ready to admit that he had been acting a bit too paranoid, back then. If he had never heard of that stalker, he wouldn't have started obsessing about her safety and imagining random rapists and freaks waiting for her in every corners and shadows. He wouldn't have hinted that she was unable to defend herself, even if it hadn't been his intention, and things wouldn't have ended up this way.

But it was useless thinking about it, now, because it was too late. They had reached the end of their partnership with this fight and, no matter how guilty or sad they felt, they had to live with this new reality. Those were the thoughts the black-haired man had in mind when his ears picked a strange gurgling sound that made him stand to attention and look around the room in search of its source. He ended up looking at the Bookworm and understood that she had been the one making that sound when he saw her place a tiny hand on her belly and an embarrassed wince crossed her face. Her brown irises met his for a fraction of a second before she dropped her gaze again, her flushing cheeks fueling a nostalgic feeling inside him. How long has it been since the last time he had purposely said or did something to make her blush, just for the heck of it? When he would look forward to tease her and expect a witty comeback? He was only now realizing that he was missing that, he was missing seeing her eyes illuminate themselves with mischief and pride when she succeeded at outsmarting him or that knowing smirk she would have when she understood the hidden meaning behind the sarcastic remarks he would sometime send her.

It was so tempting to do it one last time. Just so he could see her puff her cheeks in cute irritation, just so he could savor the thrill of another verbal _fight_... It would be stupid to do so, inappropriate even, considering their current situation, but he couldn't deny that he was itching for it.

Her stomach growled a bit louder, this time, and he felt the corners of his lips twitch. He was about to open them to say something his common sense would disapprove of but he was caught off-guard by a reaction of his own body. His stomach growled like a beast, as if it was answering the script mage's previous _call_; it had been so unexpected that he totally forgot what he had wanted to say. On top of that, his eyes instinctively flickered upwards to see her reaction and he was almost shocked to see a timid smile on her rosy lips. He couldn't shake the impression that he was the one being teased.

Levy couldn't help herself: when she heard the loud gurgle escape Gazille's body, barely a second after hers, her lips moved on their own. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who hadn't been granted breakfast before being sent here. Before she knew it, her hand started moving: two fingers raised and a little flick of the wrist made a big _IRON_ appear on the coffee table. She was slightly surprised by her own action but she didn't object; it wasn't much and far from being a suitable apology but perhaps it would ease the tension between them.

The word stood on the table like a ridiculous piece of art, shinning eerily under the morning sunlight coming by the windows. The bluenette watched the man as he stared at the word warily, as if he wasn't very tempted to eat it. She huffed silently; was he so mad at her that he would refuse even food from her? After a couple of seconds spent doing nothing beside staring, she decided to speak up.

"What is it? You don't want to eat it because it's from me?" she asked while crossing her arms, hints of annoyance in her voice. Her words seemed to get to him; his gaze met hers and he started moving, as if a spell had been broken. It wasn't that he didn't want to eat it, far from it, but he knew he would feel cheap if he was to stuff his face right in front of her while she was starving. That and the fact that he didn't get why she would do that for him since she was supposed to hate him.

"No, it's not that..." he frowned at her, while he slowly moved from behind the sofa to stand in front of it, watching her with attention to figure out her motives. "Why?" he finally asked.

She shrugged, the tension in her body releasing slightly.

"Because you're hungry."

He made a subtle negative movement of the head.

"You're hungry too. Why don't you feed yourself first?"

"I can't eat my own magic," she answered matter-of-factly, her arms moving to hug her belly in what he guessed was an attempt at calming her own hunger. He mentally slapped himself; he should have expected that answer but he had never really gave it a thought before now. Sighing, he sat on the sofa, a bit in diagonal with her, and crossed his arms over his chest. He wouldn't touch the iron, not if she didn't have anything to eat herself. If only he had his duffel bag with him, he could have given her something but it was probably still near the request board, the place where he had been standing before Titania abducted him. He wasn't even going to bother to go at the door and beg someone to bring them food, he knew they wouldn't grant them that. At least, not without some blackmailing.

They became silent again, beside their stomachs growling from time to time. Levy folded her legs under her and started playing with the frill of her dress. Even though she was able to look at him in the eyes without feeling the urge to break a window and run away, she still wasn't comfortable to be in the same room as him. Her only consolation was that, so far, he was acting far more composed than she had imagined. She had expected him to pace around like a beast and yell obscenities at her, accusing her of every single sin that existed, but, instead, he was looking simply annoyed. She glanced at the door, wondering how long it would take before the people (because she was sure that Erza wasn't alone) decided to let them out, assuming that it wouldn't imply a promise of reconciliation.

She glanced at Gazille who was doing his best to ignore the piece of iron on the table. She supposed that Lu-chan had a part to play in this forced meeting and she was probably expecting her to offer her apologies to the iron mage. The thought made her wince; not that Gazille didn't deserve them, far from it, but if she apologized and he accepted them... then what? They wouldn't have any good reasons to not be together anymore, it would be like going back to square one and she seriously doubted that she could deal with another break up anytime soon.

The tiny voice in her head rubbed salt in her wounds by suggesting that it was more the fact that she _wouldn't _want to break up anymore that scared her. She refused to dwell on this statement because the last thing she needed was to begin to doubt her position toward Gazille. She knew that she would only end up hurting herself; there was no way he would ever think of her that way.

"You ain't weak."

She had been so focused on her thoughts that it took a few seconds for her brain to register what he had said, which, when it did, got her a bit confused; it was totally out of context with the previous subject of conversation. Before she could reply something, or, at least, ask him why he was saying such a thing, he continued in a low voice.

"I... I know it sounded like that but... I don't think you're weak and I didn't mean to make you think that. It's just... uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck, the words obviously hard to get out of his mouth. "I... uhm..." His eyes darted upwards, meeting hers before dropping on something invisible at his right. "I'm sorry."

Levy's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. She barely noticed that her cheeks had grown warmer because her mind was completely overtaken by the words he had just said. _Sorry_. Gazille had just apologized! Not a funny, half-serious apology, no, a real genuine one. However, her guts started twisting even harder than before; it was so _wrong_! Gazille couldn't be the one asking for forgiveness, SHE was the one who had acted harshly and unfairly! She should be the one to repent!

"No, no, NO" she started saying in a voice that kept growing more and more agitated, waving her arms, "No, Gazille, y-you can't do that!"

"What?" the Dragon Slayer growled, obviously confused, embarrassed and insulted by her answer. She couldn't possibly be so rude and refuse to hear his apologies, right? Especially since he apologized less often than total eclipses of the sun happened.

"You shouldn't apologize," she replied, "you... You've done nothing wrong. I..."

The bluenette gulped, suddenly embarrassed, but she forced herself to be brave, composed and to not back down. She raised herself on her feet and plunged her gaze in his, summoning her courage to get her next words out.

"I'm... I'm the one who was wrong," she started softly, allowing herself a small sad smile, "I'm the one who acted like an idiot. I was so rude to you when you were just trying to be nice..." She sighed, dropping her head. "I am so ashamed of the way I've treated you, that night, a-and..."

She found herself having difficulty to keep speaking and breathing: all the emotions she had suppressed, in the past days, were all rushing back in full force, stuffing a big lump in her throat and making her feel like crying. Her cheeks were already warm but when she felt something wet drop from her chin, she realized that she had started doing just that. She sniffed and did her best wiping her eyes and face clean of tears, cursing herself for being unable to keep her composure at such a crucial time.

She was so overwhelmed by her reaction that she didn't see Gazille give a start at the sight of her tears and get on his feet to stand in front of her.

"Hey, HEY, no, don't start crying, okay?" He was gesturing for her to stop, his voice betraying a feeling of panic. "Come on, stop it!" She glanced up and tried to stop the flow of tears but just one look at his guilt-ridden face and she lost it. She started sobbing and he cursed, racking both hands in his black mane in frustration. "Goddammit!"

"Sorry, I can't stop it," she wailed, wiping her eyes again and again but she couldn't dry them out; she turned away in a feeble attempt at hiding herself from him.

"Uh, no, I didn't say that for you," he muttered, awfully uncomfortable. He had been just as uneasy when she had faked crying, long ago, at the infirmary, but now it was the real deal and he really had no idea what to do to make her stop. Why wasn't Lily with him? _He_ would know what to say.

"I'm sorry for what happened, Gazille," Levy said through more tears and sniffles. "You must think I'm horrible. You must hate me so much."

The Dragon Slayer winced at the sight of the bluenette sobbing in front of him, feeling guilty for reducing her to such a state without even trying. True, he had thought that she had been unfair with him, that night, but he couldn't bear watching her being so broken for that. If only she had been screaming again in his face or trying to fight him, he would have known how to react but _that_ was attacking him from the inside and it left him completely stumped. The fact that he believed that he hadn't been that fair with her neither was adding to his guilt.

Just this sight confirmed it for him: he was unable to turn his back on her. His inner Lily pipped in by saying that he had never really been able to turn his back on Levy, anyway. He half-heartedly told it to shut up, then, with a gentleness he didn't know he possessed, he put his arms around her petite body and pulled her to him, making her face him while doing so.

"Don't cry, Munchkin," he said in a hushed voice, pressing her against him carefully. "Please." He was answered by a sniffle and shaking shoulders.

"I'm so sorry..." Her voice was muffled by his tunic. "I didn't mean to say those things... I never should have got you into this. I'm such a-"

"Hey," he said in a slightly more stern voice, cutting her short and catching her attention. She timidly raised her head to look up at him. "Enough with the apologies, okay? Assholes like me ain't worth them."

Levy opened her mouth to retort that he wasn't like that but she quickly understood that it was his way of making amend to her, to admit that he had also been wrong, back then. Her body was still shaking under repressed sobs but, overall, she quickly started feeling better. Her heart was still beating fast and her belly was still fluttering but it was far from being like the guts-twisting sensation of the last four days.

When, not long after, Gazille offered her a crooked smirk and asked her if they were still friends, she made her first genuine smile of happiness in almost a week.

"Of course," she told him with relief before she slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him back. She took on the scent of iron emanating from his clothes and skin, a scent that brought a blush on her cheeks that she wasn't sure to be able to explain. Nonetheless, when, a moment later, she felt him squeeze her lightly and move his hands on her arms, she pulled back from his embrace and met his gaze. There was something shining in it, an emotion that she was having a hard time identifying, but she concluded that it was probably relief to be finally done with this. She knew that _she_ was happy to have gotten her guilt and shame out of her body and mind; she would have gone crazy, if it had lasted any longer than that.

Talking about things that lasted, there was still one important matter to take care of. What would happen with their _couple_ now? In spite of the time spent thinking about it, for the past days, Levy still didn't know what she really wanted. Her emotion and common sense were fighting about what she should do. Of course, resuming to date the iron mage was what she really wanted, right now, because she had missed his company and Lily's like crazy. However, she doubted that another perfect opportunity like this one would come again, anytime soon, and that she could afford to let it go.

As she was musing on this matter, Gazille cursed softly then, to her surprise, slipped his right hand on the small of her back and his left one on her hip, bringing her closer to him again. Before she could ask him what he was doing, he spoke up, a reserved but genuine smile on his lips.

"Hope you're up for round two, Munchkin."

At first, she didn't understand what he meant by _round two_ but her brain quickly caught up and did the math. He was telling her that he wanted to keep pretending, which made her frown in confusion. Why would he possibly want that, when they were faced with such a perfect opportunity to put an end to this scheme? After all, of the two of them, he should be the most eager to finally be free, right? Her heart and belly fluttered in confusion and excitement at the possible reasons, but she paid them no mind and forced herself to look at the facts. The facts were that Gazille was willing to be her _lover _again; the question was why? Again, the little voice in her head whispered that maybe he had other motives, which prompted her to tell it to mind its own business and fight off the rush of blood threatening to take over her face.

"Are you sure we should?" she asked in a soft voice. He nodded without hesitation and, this time, she couldn't completely fight the blush.

"Can't help it," he said with a shrug before darting his gaze toward the back of the room for a fraction of a second. "It would have been a perfect time to end it, if _they_ hadn't seen us."

Levy turned the head toward the windows but she already knew what she would see there, or rather, who. Half a dozen fairies with their noses pressed against the pane of glass were shamelessly gawking at them: namely Erza, Lucy, Lisanna, Juvia and Cana. The women were looking particularly satisfied and the stellar mage even went as far as to give the bluenette a thumbs-up. The young woman in question felt a new rush of embarrassment take over her as her partner put her thoughts into words.

"Dunno how long they've been there but we can assume that they'll never believe us if we tell them that we can't make up." He scoffed but he didn't sound genuinely angry, thanks to the somewhat happy expression on his face. "Looks like you'll have to deal with me a bit longer, Shorty."

Useless to mention that, after such a big guilt-trip, hearing him call her Shorty was far from insulting her. She doubted that she would ever get tired of hearing him call her that, from now on.

"I don't think it's going to be a problem," she said in a low voice, exchanging a knowing smile with him. Gazille was right: they couldn't break up now that they had been seen and, honestly, she wasn't sad about it. It would allow her a reprieve before the fated day and she promised herself that not only she would make the most of those precious days left but she would make sure that, when it would be over, their real break up was going to be much smoother than what they had just experienced.

Feeling pressuring eyes on them, the duo turned the head toward the windows; the females were now giving them expectant looks that sent chills up both of their spines.

"_Tch_, what now?" asked the Dragon Slayer with a frown, even though his tone of voice implied that he already knew.

The bluenette giggled softly.

"I think they want to see a make up kiss."

Gazille met her eyes, an inquiring eyebrow raised. Her hazel orbs avoided his; her cheeks were becoming redder under his gaze. He had to bit back a grin at the satisfying sight. He seriously could never get tired of having such an impact on her with so little efforts. Since not only a kiss was apparently necessary to be freed from this room but he was also wishing to make up for almost a week's worth of teasing, he cupped her chin between his index finger and thumb, tilted her head back so she couldn't avoid to look at him and lowered his head until his mouth was hovering barely an inch over her delicate lips, all while keeping her body close to his.

With a feral grin that he couldn't hold back anymore, he whispered a few words that he knew would make her flush with embarrassment.

"Is that also what _you_ want, Munchkin?"

He felt her face burst on fire before she became as red as his eyes, just as predicted. He wasn't done teasing her, though: to make sure to keep his advantage, he didn't give her the opportunity to retort something and brought his lips on hers without a second thought, well-intended to keep her so busy with his mouth that she couldn't do anything else than kiss him back. He quickly supposed that it worked because her hands had grabbed his tunic in a vice grip and he thought that it was to keep herself from buckling over; however, he was slightly caught off-guard when, instead, she started using it as a leverage to give herself better access to his mouth. Under half-closed eyelids, their eyes met and the fire burning in hers didn't go unnoticed, pulling the corners of his mouth upwards. She was fighting back with all she had to turn the situation in her favor and this was exactly how he liked it but he would be damned if he let her have the upper hand.

He licked her bottom lip, the gesture meant to unsettle her and test her boundaries, since they had never kissed in such an intimate way before, and again, he was highly pleased to see her respond by catching his own bottom lip with her mouth and sucking it. Suppressing a growl, he captured her mouth again, engaging in a raging battle with her tongue that only the knowledge of the sharpness of his canines dampened the intensity. That didn't seem to bother her the slightest, if the barely contained sighs escaping her were any indication. She let go of his tunic to throw her arms around his neck; he responded in kind by grabbing her by the waist and pull her up, her legs wrapping around his mid-section. While their mouths never broke contact, her fingers started raking his scalp and that alone was tempting him to lower his hands down her back until they would reach that part of her anatomy he had always forbidden himself to appreciate. It would be wrong, so wrong, if he went that far and yet, if he didn't do something to get the upper hand, he would lose the fight he had initiated, which would be the height of the embarrassment.

Heavens seemed to have heard him because, right as the thought crossed his mind, loud but muffled splashing sounds resonated in the room, unsticking the two _lovers'_ mouths instantaneously. Panting, they exchanged a confused look before they both turned the head toward the windows and faced a quite disturbing sight. On the windowpanes, several spatters of a reddish liquid were covering the lowest section of the windows, at the exact place where they had seen the other fairies observing them, a few minutes earlier. There was no traces of them now but, strangely, neither of the two doubted that they were laying unconscious nearby, with furious amount of blood running down their noses.

"...Eww..." muttered Levy with disgust that was only matched by Gazille equally grossed-out expression. "Wow, uhm... I think we might have killed them."

The iron mage blinked at the ridiculously gruesome sight before his face changed from disgust to annoyance.

"_Tch_, teach them good", he answered as he lowered the script mage back at ground level before crossing his arms. "Bunch of Dumbasses."

The young woman nodded, doing her best to not look as self-conscious and embarrassed as she felt, while she dusted off her dress. While it was true that she had been the one suggesting the kiss, she hadn't expected Gazille to be so... passionate. Yet, she had been aware that he had only been teasing her by doing that. Before she had known, she had started kissing him back as if her life had depended on it, something that she was having a hard time convincing herself that was only to show off in front of her friends. Her only consolation was that Gazille seemed to be in a similar state of mind, his nonchalant attitude looking a bit forced, in her opinion.

The silence between them was starting to be awkward but fortunately, their hungry stomachs reminded them that they were starving. The gurgling sound was like a slap bringing them back to reality.

"Come on, let's go eat something," said the Dragon Slayer, while taking Levy's hand and making his way to the door. Just as he reached for the doorknob, it opened itself to let a flying smug-looking Pantherlily in; Gazille immediately pointed an angry finger at him.

"I'll remember that, cat."

"Oh, but I hope you will, Gazille," answered the exceed with a smirk, greeting Levy who petted him on the head affectionately. He opened his mouth to add something else but, instead, his eyes grew wide in shock as he noticed, from the corner of the eye, the horrible-looking spatters staining the windows, at the back of the room. He was aware that, half an hour earlier, five women from the guild had taken place there to observe the Dragon Slayer and the script mage's exchange but now, in their places, all he could see was splatters of a liquid that couldn't be mistaken for anything else than blood. The cat was so stupefied that it was a miracle that his wings were still keeping him in the air.

When he was finally able to detach his gaze from the disturbing sight, it was only to stare at the couple with an expression that clearly asked them: _What the hell have you two been doing, in here?_

"That's for you to find out, pal," snickered Gazille who simply made his way out with a grinning bluenette in tow. The exceed watched their retreating back, while a violent shiver ran up his spine.

Maybe matching these two wasn't such a good idea, afterall...

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><p><strong>End notes:<strong> meh, even _I_ am beginning to doubt my strange sense of humor :P sorry for grossing you out^.^

Thank you so much for your great reviews and faves, it's awesome and they really encourage me to go on. hopefully, next chapter won't take a month to write .


	15. Birthday talk

**Author's notes:** will I finish this story before 2013?! I sure hope so! at least, I got over a tiny writer block and a lot of daughters' aggro to finish this chapter, I hope you guys will enjoy it.

I do not own Fairy Tail, because if I did, you guys can be sure that I WOULD HAVE NEVER TOUCHED MY SWEET DARLING LEVY-CHAN'S FACE THIS WAY?! WHO DID THIS, UH? WHO? AND WHAT'S THIS THING ABOUT HER LOVED ONE DYING? *evil glare* I better never get my hand on you or else...

... enjoy :3

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><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 15 Birthday talk**

A moment later, the most famous couple of Fairy Tail could be seen walking in the market area, which wasn't very far from the location of their guild. Since it was Monday and barely six thirty in the morning, the streets were mostly empty, beside some merchants and a couple of early birds, which was perfect for the two young mages who were already sick of being watched and peeped on by their nakamas. Even if it ended up being a good thing, this time, they didn't appreciate that their friends meddled into their business and tricked them into coming back together. However, they knew that what they experienced this morning had been relatively harmless, since the mastermind behind all their sappy obsession hadn't even been there. Who knew what type of horror SHE would have subjected them to, if she had had her say in this scheme?

"Don't tell me they followed us?"

Gazille, who had been looking and sniffing in the direction they had come from, shook his head before turning back to face Levy, who handed him a goblet of black coffee similar to the one she already had in hand, freshly bought from a mobile food stall nearby.

"Nah," he said even though he kept frowning, glancing again over his shoulder, "it's fine."

The bluenette was a bit curious to know who or what had seemingly caught her friend's attention but the delicious aroma hovering under her nose quickly got her priorities right. It was with an immeasurable joy that she allowed the hot yet delectable liquid to kiss her lips and caress her throat, eliciting soft contented moans and sighs from her at each gulp as if she was a music box. Her unusual song kept going as she took a bite of her blueberry muffin, which was the most exquisite thing she had ever tasted, probably explainable by the fact that she was starving.

Since she had closed her eyes to better enjoy this wonderful moment, she didn't notice Gazille's eyes on her, which were growing wider and wider as seconds passed. With a stupefied eyebrow raised, the mage couldn't help staring at the small fairy who looked to be in seventh heaven just by drinking her coffee. He had known that she _loved_ that beverage, almost as much as she loved her books, but hearing her moan like this... And so soon after this morning's hardcore make-up session...

"Shorty, knock it down a bit, will ya?"

His tone had been neutral enough to not sound rude or mean; Levy turned to him with big innocent eyes shining with overwhelming enthusiasm.

"Why?" she asked him with her mouth puffed like a chipmunk. The Dragon Slayer bit back his tongue at the sight. Even like this, which was a bit ridiculous, she was making his body react in a disturbing way. Of course, he wasn't dumb enough to blurt out the truth out loud, which was _Because you're about to give me a fucking hard on_, but he settled for the next best thing.

"Ya're gonna attract a bunch of cats if ya keep meowing like that," he answered her with a devious grin. "Or worse."

Levy's eyes widened at his words; she swallowed with slight difficulties before voicing her indignation.

"I _wasn't_ meowing," she poked the man in the arm with an index finger, the only available finger she had since she was holding her coffee in one hand and her muffin in the other, "I'm expressing joy at drinking and eating what I like best. Is that a crime?"

Gazille snorted, his own goblet of coffee to his mouth.

"Guess not. As long as you like cats."

She made a haughty _hmph_ even though she didn't really look vexed. She knew that getting rilled up by his words would only entertain him and he would certainly tease her much more than before just to make up for almost a week's worth of lost opportunities. She wasn't complaining about his unusual form of attention but that didn't mean that she would let him have his fun without fighting back.

"I don't particularly love them. You're the cat lover, here, not me."

"I don't love cats," he precised, "I love MY cat, that ain't the same. He's much more awesome than those mindless fleabags."

The bluenette smiled; it was always so endearing to hear him talk about Pantherlily. He never hid the affection he had for his best friend.

"I also love your cat," she said in a soft voice, "four days without seeing him made me lonely."

At her words, their eyes met, but Levy quickly found out that she couldn't keep looking at his blood red ones without feeling her face warm up. Even if she hadn't meant anything else by saying that, she conceded that her words left room for interpretation. She took a sip of her beverage to hide her reddening cheeks then changed the subject's orientation.

"Shouldn't we have brought him with us, instead of leaving him to take care of Erza and the others?"

"_Tch_," sneered the iron mage as he bought a fried egg and bacon sandwich from the same vendor they had gotten their coffee from, "he was playing along with them, serves him right. Anyway, Girlie is probably with him now."

They started eating their breakfast while walking around.

"Poor Wendy," the script mage said. "She must have freaked out when she saw them." The sky mage in question had just entered the guild when they had left in a hurry. Levy felt a bit bad for inflicting something like that to the young fairy, knowing that she would certainly worry endlessly about their friends' health because of them. Even though it hadn't really been their fault; it wasn't like they were the ones having dirty thoughts, back then.

For the next fifteen minutes, they lazily walked through the market in a comfortable silence, beside the occasional word then and now. When they wandered in the commercial neighborhood, where most of the boutiques and shops were located, Levy recalled that she still hadn't thought of a present for Elfman who's birthday was in a few days. She started looking in the windows of the various shops, hoping to get ideas of what to offer him. However, since she really didn't have a clue of what he really liked, it was extremely difficult to choose something.

That was what she answered Gazille, when he asked her what she was looking for.

"What to get for a man like him?" she mused out loud, her nose pressed on the windowpane of a hardware store, before she called out to the Dragon Slayer. "What do you like to get as birthday presents?"

The iron mage stopped walking before staring confusedly at the small fairy.

"What... I like to get?"

"Yes. Since you're a male, maybe what you usually receive could also be good for Elfman," she explained with a smile. "So? What type of presents you like best?"

Gazille shrugged.

"I have no idea: I never received gifts, before."

The bluenette unstuck herself from the window and faced him.

"You... You never had any birthday gifts?" she asked him, obviously surprised. She was answered with a negative shake of the head.

"I don't even have a birthday, to begin with," he said matter-of-factly.

His words were so unsuspected that it froze her for a second, from both surprise and disbelief. Maybe he was one of those people that disliked their birthdays and was lying about it to avoid all the commotion that came with such events, which wouldn't surprise her coming from Gazille, but she quickly understood that he wasn't lying, when he held her gaze with a bored one.

"You really don't..." she stated more than asked, losing the small dubious smile she had wore to replace it with a curious frown. "But how do you know how old you are, if you don't know when's your birthday?"

"I don't know my age." Seeing her eyebrows disappear into her hairline, he explained, "All I know is that, seven years ago, I was shorter than now." She didn't bother correct him about the number of years: she knew he was talking about the _seven years ago_ of seven years ago, before they got stuck into Fairy Sphere. Even she, sometime, was having a hard time situating herself into the right time line.

Letting his words sink, Levy grew a bit sad. She was starting to realize that Gazille's past life and hers really were different. While she had lost her parents at a young age, she still had been old enough to remember the day of her birth and about them. However, it seemed that the Dragon Slayer didn't have such a chance. He probably had been by himself for a while, before and after his meeting with the iron dragon. Before Lily and Fairy Tail, no one had ever cared about him. Except Metalicana, to some extend, in spite of what Gazille said about the matter.

"Oi," his voice brought her out of her musing, "what's with that gloomy face?"

She looked up before shrugging.

"Oh, nothing, it's just... I was just thinking how sad it is that no one ever celebrated your birthday."

The iron mage raised an eyebrow and snorted, thinking that he had never met _anyone_ that rejoiced at the fact that he was alive, especially not Metalicana. Maybe his biological parents did, back when he had been a baby, but he doubted it. If it had been the case, why would they have left him to fend for himself at an age so young that he didn't even remember having been with someone, before his meeting with the iron dragon?

Anyway, it wasn't like he cared. He honestly never gave a damn about his birthday and it never prevented him from living his life as he wished.

Unbeknown to him, Levy was far from sharing his opinion on the subject. The more she thought about the fact that Gazille didn't have a birthday, the more she believed that it was now the perfect time to fix the situation. After all, unlike before, he was now a member of Fairy Tail and he had plenty of nakamas: Natsu, Gray, Juvia, Erza, etc. He also had Lily, his best friend... and he had her. She wasn't sure exactly what she was to him: she wasn't his real girlfriend, of course, but she liked to believe that she wasn't just a nakama, neither.

The little voice she kept hearing lately agreed with her, stating mischievously that simple nakamas didn't usually French kiss with enough passion to make a bunch of women faint from massive blood loss. The thought sent the small fairy blushing madly and she stuck her nose against another boutique's window, wishing that the gesture would save her from any teasing words from the iron mage.

Her wish didn't come true.

"Why are you all red?" asked Gazille as he frowned, meeting her gaze by looking at the reflection of her face in the window she was facing. Levy mentally cursed herself for not thinking about that particular detail and turned around to hide her embarrassment.

"Uhm, l-I'm just hot," she said in a not so convincing voice, fanning herself with her right hand to make her story more believable. She wasn't surprised to hear the man snort.

"Yeah, right. As if you could be hot while wearing something like that."

The bluenette glanced down at her pretty green pinafore dress, with white ribbons and frills, and sweat; it was unquestionably a summer dress. The horribly wicked smirk that had bloomed on the man's face was not helping her cool down; she decided to change the subject to give herself a chance to recover some dignity. Beside, all this thinking had given her an idea.

"Say, do you remember the exact date you became a member of Fairy Tail?" she asked him as she spun around to face him, her hands clasped behind her back, suddenly looking pleasantly innocent. Gazille's face clearly showed that he knew the nature of her previous thoughts and that she was only trying to divert his attention but, instead of teasing her, he seemingly let it go and answered her with mild curiosity.

"Around September, why?"

"Hmm, around September; I'll have to check the files in the data room, I'm pretty sure the real date is written there," Levy said to herself before offering her friend a brilliant smile and explained, "Oh, I'm just planning for your upcoming birthday party."

Like she had suspected earlier, Gazille was apparently not the type of person that liked parties thrown in his honor. His smirk lost its vigor as he started frowning in confusion and apprehension.

"What the hell you mean? I told you, I don't have a birthday."

"You don't have a regular birthday, yes," she replied knowingly, growing a smirk of her own, "but I'm actually talking about your guild birthday."

"My what?!"

She chuckled.

"In Fairy Tail, we have two birthdays," she explained, showing him two fingers to illustrate her point, "the normal one and the one we celebrate the day we became a member: the guild birthday. Since your real one is unknown, we'll have to throw you a bigger party for your guild birthday. On top of that, it'll be your very first one, I'm pretty sure it's going to be so grand that it will last for a couple of days."

She couldn't help but chuckle again at the mortification she could see in his eyes.

"You're fucking kidding me?!" he spat but, when he saw that she wasn't, he scowled like the Grinch, trying to look intimidating to make her take back her words. It wasn't going to work. She didn't doubt a single second that Gazille would never touch a single hair of her head again. Something he probably was also aware of because he cursed under his breath, when he saw that she wasn't reacting as he wanted her to.

"Dammit."

"Come on, don't take it like that," Levy said as she hugged his arm, trying to look more serious so she wouldn't infuriate him more than that. "It's going to be fun, I'm sure you'll like it. I'll get you something great."

He grunted in a manner that clearly expressed his opinion on the subject and she grinned. His party would be in a little bit more than two months but she was already excited, mentally brainstorming on various ideas of gifts she could offer him. Surely Pantherlily would be happy to help her with that.

"Ain't there any way you could just forget about this stupid idea?" Gazille almost whined. The bluenette pretended to think about it, all for the pleasure of teasing the iron mage, before she simply shook her head.

"Not really. Even if I told you I won't organize a party for you, the others will still do it. No one escapes it, in Fairy Tail; might as well accept that fact."

The Dragon Slayer let out a _Tch_ as the small fairy resumed window-shopping for a gift for the Take Over mage, humming a happy tune to herself. He seriously disliked the idea of the Shrimp throwing a birthday party for him because he knew the others wouldn't genuinely want to celebrate the day he became a fairy. He was pretty sure that a good majority of them were still bitter that he had entered, to begin with; just thinking of sitting there, surrounded by a bunch of folks that would, at the best, fake to be happy for him... Urgh. No thanks.

If he was to participate in this poor-excuse-for-getting-wasted party, the only one who would really want to wish him a happy birthday would be Lily. Oh, and Juvia, he supposed, since she didn't hate his ass. And maybe the Master, since he was the one who had made him a fairy, to begin with... Then, there was also Salamander, who seemed to consider him more nakama than Dragon Slayer rival. However, Gazille sure wouldn't invite him in his house; his cat and him would end up homeless in a blink of an eye.

And finally: Shorty, who, he had learned, didn't fake those kind of things. If she told him that she wanted to throw him a party, it was because she really wanted to, not because she felt obligated. He still had trouble understanding why but she really considered him a friend. She should be the one who hated his guts more than anyone combined in this world and yet, she didn't. Crazy how saving her life once or twice seemed to help on the matter, huh?

He forced himself to ignore the fact that, at first, he hadn't really saved her life for her. His motives had been different, back then; fortunately, things weren't the same now. He really wanted her to be safe, to keep smiling like she was the best at, while he wanted to be acknowledged by her, in return.

But nobody should get any ideas, now: it wasn't like Lily claimed it was. He didn't _feel_ anything special for her and he wasn't attracted by her, neither.

...Okay, that might not be the exact truth. She was cute. Kinda. And she smelled good, which always earned points with him, thanks to his sensitive nose. And... he would be lying if he said he disliked her body. She had a fucking nice ass and legs... and her rack just happened to suit his taste better since he wasn't particularly fond of huge boobs...

But it was coincidental, okay? _Purely coincidental_. It didn't mean anything.

...

What were they talking about, just before he started shoving his foot into his mouth?

Oh yeah, _no one escapes birthdays,_ which wasn't a good thing for him. It did explain why there was so many parties in this guild, though.

"You know, Munchkin, you say you have two birthdays but I can't recall seeing any of them and I've been in the guild long enough for that." He supposed that, guild birthdays or regular, she would have received presents and/or a cake. Yet, he had never witnessed her being the reason for their guildies' celebration. The bluenette had a little smile, looking almost shy.

"It was one month ago."

Gazille blandly snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"_Tch_, yeah right, I was there and didn't have any major jobs, one month ago; if it really had been your birthday, I would have noticed it."

"It was the eleventh," she replied. The man racked his brain to remember if he had done anything special, that day. "I don't know what was your job, back then," she pursued, apparently having a better memory than he did, "but I think it lasted for two or three days and among them was my birthday. I recall it well because Mirajane was convinced that you had gone to get me a ring and she literally burned my ears telling me over and over that you were about to ask me out, that it was just a matter of time, yada, yada," she chuckled, making a yapping gesture with her hand. "I turned myself blue in the face trying to make her understand that not only you had no idea it was my birthday but that you wouldn't care, even if you knew."

Ah. That could explain why the Barmaid kept asking him if he wanted to give the Shrimp a gift, back then. He had simply ignored her by tuning her out, which had been his new mechanism against her incessant matching attempts. Of course, Shorty would have been right: if he had known it was her birthday, he wouldn't have given her anything, because it would have fueled the white-haired woman's obsession with them. And because he wasn't the type of guy to give presents, especially to someone he wasn't very well acquainted with.

Again, things were different, now. Munchkin was his friend, or pretty close, at least, and she obviously planned to give him something for his _birthday_, even if it was against his wishes. Because of that, he felt obligated to give her something, in return. The problem was that he had absolutely no idea what he should get her.

"What did _you_ get for your birthday?" he asked her, out of the blue. Levy turned to look at the iron mage, a bit surprised to hear his interest in the matter.

"Books, mostly," she answered, prompting Gazille to roll his eyes.

"_Tch_, figures."

She smiled.

"And bandannas, too, from Lucky."

"Wow..." he said with a tone heavy with sarcasm. "And I suppose that's what you get, every year?"

"Yes. I love books so there's no problem getting some for my birthday. Even though, most of the time, I get one I've already read." She shrugged, seemingly used to it.

"No shit," he grunted, having no problem believing it just by recalling the size of her personal collection. "What do you like to get, beside books?"

She frowned, growing a bit suspicious of the interrogation.

"Why are you asking me all that?"

"Just answer the damn question, Munchkin," Gazille countered her but she wouldn't comply to his wishes.

"Wait, are you..." she started in a slow voice before realization seemed to hit her, "You want to offer me a present?" she added with a teasing smirk growing on her lips, looking quite pleased, nonetheless.

"I didn't say that," he replied curtly, his face void of any emotions as he crossed his arms over his chest again. "Now, answer."

It was her turn to smile knowingly, seeing through his nonchalant facade. He didn't like that smile. _Damn smartass_.

"Well..." she finally answered. "If I were to be given something that is not a book, I think I would want something cute and practical."

Ruby eyes blinked.

"Cute."

The bluenette nodded.

"Practical," he added.

"Yes."

His face contorted in a clueless grimace.

"... Like what?"

The young woman snorted, shaking her head.

"Hm, I think I should let you ponder on this question by yourself. After all, it won't be a surprise for me if I already know what you're going to get me."

Gazille pointedly stared at a point at his right, far away from her gaze.

"I never said I'd get you something, don't get any ideas."

He was answered by a chuckle and a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Sure, sure..."

* * *

><p>"Uh..."<p>

Levy didn't lift her gaze from the item she had in hands. It looked quite interesting; maybe Elfman would like it.

"What is it, Gazille?"

A short silence occurred where she could only hear the hushed voices of the other customers around them.

"You seriously want to get his gift here?"

She raised the head to meet his eyes.

"What's wrong with this place?" she asked, genuinely confused about his objection. The black-haired man gave a look around them before gesturing at the dim-lit room they were standing in.

"It's a fucking bookstore."

A few angry growls and a couple of crisp _Shhh!_ came from the other people shopping; Gazille couldn't care less that his coarse language might have offended the bookworms crawling in this stuffy room. He hadn't complained at first but now that he knew of her intentions, he seriously doubted that the Take Over mage could be interested in novels or anything of the like. It wasn't like anyone had ever seen him read.

"Of course, it's a bookstore," the bluenette in question answered, replacing the volume she had been holding back on its shelve, _Twenty great meals to cook in a dishwasher_, "in fact, this is the very same bookstore we came to fetch my books, the other day."

As if he could have forgotten. Twenty-five books from here up to Fairy Hills without a car or even a wheelbarrow. It had also been the day he had the misfortune to witness Shorty's _Pleading Look of Doom_, which she didn't need to use to get him inside, this time. He had swore to himself to never be caught by it, ever again.

But still: a _bookstore_. Beside himself, the white-haired male could be the last person expected to enjoy reading, in Fairy Tail... except Salamander.

"You know, he might not even be able to read."

Levy let out a gasp, almost dropping _Poetry for Cavemen_.

"Gazille, don't be rude," she scolded him. "Of course, he can read."

The man propped an arm on a book shelve at his left, conspicuously ignoring an old woman scowling at him, nearby.

"You honestly think he's gonna like it? 'Cause, if I got it right, birthday gifts are supposed to be appreciated, right?"

The small fairy blushed, bashfully playing with her fingers.

"Uhm, well, I figured that it wouldn't hurt him to get out of his comfort zone. Beside, it's rude to refuse a present, he won't reject it in front of me."

The Dragon Slayer let out a loud snort.

"You just don't know what to get him."

"Hey, it's not like you've been of any help for that, so far," Levy retorted, puffing her cheeks before she resumed looking for that miraculous gift that could please the manly man. She didn't brag about it but she was usually pretty good at choosing presents, however, she had to admit that Elfman was a though one (no pun intended). If only Mirajane had been there, she could have asked her for advice, or Lisanna, but the young woman was busy being almost dead, at the infirmary.

A moment passed, where the bluenette felt like tearing her hair out, because she just couldn't find anything. She was seriously wondering if she could just give him a couple of Jewels with a Happy B-day card, when a slapping sound fiercely pulled her out of her musing.

"I've found it."

Hazel eyes met a pair of red ones, both of them standing at each side of a sci-fi section's display. Gazille propped both arms on the wooden bookcase, which was reaching right under his chest, making himself comfortable as he grinned down at the small fairy in front of him.

"Look at that."

Levy lowered her gaze on the magazine he was showing her, realizing that was what had made the slapping sound; the picture on the front page made her grimace in disgust.

"Ew, what's this?" she asked, in a tiny voice, staring at the image of a young woman, who could probably be called pretty if there hadn't been a thousand rings, barbells and beads stuck in her face. _Piercings_. "Is it for Eflman?" she was almost afraid to ask, the mental image threatening to disturb her sleep. Gazille shook his head, his deadly grin reminding her of a shark.

"That's your birthday gift, Shorty."

"WHAT?"

Another concerto of complains and _Shhh!_ was heard, making Levy wish she could turn invisible for a moment, at least until she stopped looking like a blue-haired boiled lobster.

"You can't be serious?" she whispered harshly, while trying to hide behind a book.

"Sure am," he replied in a normal voice, once again not giving a damn if he was disturbing the others. "Judging by your reaction, I guess my idea is fucking original."

Levy could only gape at him like a fish, her eyes wide in shock and her skin growing pale.

"But... but... It's-It's not my birthday. You really don't have to-"

"Hey, you're the one who was begging me to give you something AND it's gonna be cute and practical; ain't that what you wanted?"

"First of all, I didn't beg you and second," she pointed at the image, "_this_ is nowhere near the definition of cute and/or practical. Really, what is supposed to be practical about having this many rings in the face? To hang a shower curtain on them?"

The black-haired man raised a slightly vexed eyebrow. Normally, he didn't care of the others' opinion about his piercings but strangely, the idea that the Bookworm didn't like them bothered him a bit. Sensing his subtle change of mood, the bluenette waved a hand.

"I'm not saying that for you, you know. Yours are cool and they look good on you and... well, erh... Anyway!" she raised both hands to put a stop to her own babbling, "what I mean is that a piercing is far from what I had in mind, when I said _cute_ and _practical_."

He shrugged, finding back his teasing smirk.

"So what? It's your own fault for telling me to figure out what you wanted myself." She opened her mouth to object again but he cut her with a fake disappointed-accusing look. "And didn't you say it was rude to refuse a gift?"

The script mage wanted to insult him for using her own words against her, but she could already feel a dozen burning stares scorching her from everywhere around them, so she settled for crossing her arms over her chest and hating him in silence.

"It really isn't necessarry..." she eventually added in a mumble, almost pouting.

"Is it because you're scared?" the Dragon Slayer asked, the challenge in his voice evident. She sent him a glare.

"No," she defiantly replied, even if it wasn't the entire truth, "absolutely not."

He smirked, she held his gaze for a moment.

"But I don't see what motivates you to offer me this," she finally added, eyebrows raised in curiosity and annoyance. He half-shrugged.

"Just as I don't see what motivates you to throw me a birthday party."

"Ah, I see. You're just looking for a way out of it, isn't it?" she smiled. "Scared?"

He scoffed.

"Like Hell!"

At that point, it seemed their conversation had gotten on some people's nerves because two clerks approached them, one old and tall and the other more chubby, their steps hesitant. It was quite obvious that they wouldn't have come closer to the tall black-haired Dragon Slayer, if they hadn't been forced to.

"S-Sir, we will have to ask you to-to either quiet down o-or leave. You are disturbing t-the other customers."

True to himself, Gazille simply turned the head toward the two males, not bothering to move his arms from the bookcase, before he shot them with one of his famous intimidating glare. That alone did the trick; the clerks turned around faster than a top and walked away, the only person objecting to their retreat was the old woman from before who was calling them by every names imaginable and threatening to sue the owner of the store if they didn't do what she asked. In spite of her apparent anger, she was not making any move to come closer to the fairies and even less to give them a piece of her mind.

Levy was feeling a bit bad for the poor men the iron mage had just turned down, since she knew them quite well; this was her favorite bookstore and came here so often that she knew everyone by their first names, but that detail obviously didn't bother Gazille who simply resumed their conversation, as if nothing exceptional had happened.

"So, Munchkin, how about we do this?" he asked her, shaking the piercing's magazine left and right. "Since you're telling me that you're not scared, there's no reason to wait, right? Of course, if you changed your mind about throwing me a party, I wouldn't have a problem finding something else for you..."

The bluenette's bottom lip stuck out slightly, as she debated on either or not getting pierced, in exchange of the right to organize a party for the iron Dragon Slayer, was worth it. She didn't doubt for a second that the others were going to go crazy for Gazille's very first birthday party, either she organized it or not. Ever since Fantasia, everyone had come to accept the grumpy mage as one of them, and even more nowadays, after the Grand Magic Games. Maybe the iron mage thought that no one would want to celebrate his birthday, that they were all still angry and bitter because of his past actions. She was pretty sure he would state that it was the way he wanted things to be, that he was fine not being liked by anyone. However, she knew that, deep down, Gazille was looking for the others' acceptance but, ironically, while their friends had already accepted him as one of them, he didn't seem to be ready for _being _accepted. As if he thought he hadn't atoned enough, already.

Levy dropped her gaze back on the piercing-faced woman on the magazine. True, she was quite nervous at the idea of having one of those into her skin but, at the same time, she really wanted him to experience the joy of being acknowledged by his friends, to be happy to be alive and part of a great family. What did a little bit of pain matter if, in return, she helped her friend forgive himself and become a new man?

Beside, now that she was seriously considering it, having a piercing didn't sound so awful. She always thought that they were cool and she was even surprising herself to ponder on _where_ she would like to have it; the thought making her heart race faster than it used to, this very morning.

She met his ruby-colored eyes again and a smile matching with the crooked one he had on his face bloomed on her lips.

"You won't need to find me something else, Gazille. All things considered, I want that piercing."

At first, the Dragon Slayer kept silent, holding her gaze and waiting to see if she was changing her mind. Then, when he judged that she was serious, instead of frowning, as she had half-expected him to, he grinned.

"Are you sure about it, Shorty?" he asked her, even though his body language clearly said that he already believed her. "Ain't afraid of the pain?" he teased.

"A little bit," she admitted, "but I suppose that if you survived thirty piercings, there's no reason I wouldn't survive one."

Her answer prompted him to chuckle, his eyes shining with pride and satisfaction. She had guts and he liked that.

"_Gihi_, that's _exactly_ what I wanted to hear."

* * *

><p>A moment later, the two fairies exited the bookstore and started making their way toward the guild, because Levy wanted to look up the exact date Gazille became a member, as well as check on the girls at the infirmary, while the iron mage wanted to get a hold of his cat and go do a job, like they had been supposed to. The mages were walking in comfortable silence until Gazille spoke up.<p>

"Having regrets, yet?"

The bluenette raised a confused eyebrow at the man at her side.

"What do you mean?"

Gazille gave a pointed look at the bag in her arms, which contained the piercing magazine, a book named _The Alphabet of Manliness_ (they both agreed that this book, that they had found by chance, had been written for Elfman) and a new detective novel, because she had been unable to resist buying something for herself.

"If you thought the cover of the magazine was disturbing, wait until you see the pictures inside. Some of those aren't... suitable for all audience, if you know what I mean," he told her with a wary look... which was completely ruined by the huge wolfish grin that bloomed on his face, the second after, outright telling her that he was only trying to scare her again. Levy huffed good-heartedly, giving him a light push on the arm with her elbow.

"Quit it, okay? I said I wanted it." She gave him a teasing look. "Or maybe you're trying to dissuade me because you still don't want me to throw you a party? You hoped that this piercing idea would gross me out, right? Haha, seems like your little plan backfired on you. _I will _have a piercing and _you_ _will _have a party!"

The black-haired man snorted. He hadn't been thinking of the party at all; as she had said earlier, he knew that even if she didn't organize it for him, the others would. To be honest, in spite of the guilty pleasure he was having every time he teased her, he was actually concerned with her inexperience in the domain of _body modifications_. It was going to be painful and she said she was aware of it, but she didn't know how painful it would really be. He admitted that he was a bit scared that she might become distant with him, if she suffered too much. The last thing he wanted was to mess up whatever was going on between them.

"Just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into," he answered her. "It ain't permanent like a tattoo but... it'll leave a mark, even if you don't keep it." His expression grew a bit more serious. "And I know I'm the one who suggested it but... I might end up hurting you..."

_Again._ That was what he felt like adding, yet he didn't, because he didn't want to bring back up those stained memories. Levy stared at him without a word, her smile fainting as she probably guessed what he didn't say. Not probably. _Certainly._ She was way too smart to not get it. Gazille was already regretting his words, even though he had meant them. He believed she didn't deserve to be reminded of all the suffering he had inflicted on her in the past.

He was pulled out of his inner musing by the feeling of her fingers slipping between his. Dropping his gaze on his right hand, he contemplated the light-skinned digits interwoven with his callous dark ones, small yet perfectly fitting. The gesture was feeling completely natural and he supposed that the past weeks of practice was to thank for that.

"Don't worry, Gazille." Levy's voice drifted up to his ears and pulled his eyes off their linked hands to meet hers. "I'm not afraid; I know you won't hurt me."

She smiled, the corner of her eyes raising slightly as well. He felt like gulping at the sight but he fought it off. Just like this morning, when he had hugged her, his insides were getting agitated against his will, feeling light and heavy at the same time. It was a foreign sensation that he hadn't yet decided if he liked or not.

Clearing his throat, since he didn't know what he was supposed to answer to her statement, he kept walking while keeping his eyes on the road in front of them. He heard her giggle softly and had to hold himself from cursing out loud, especially since he had started feeling his face warm up in embarrassment. He decided to change the subject's orientation before she started teasing him.

"So? Did you decide where you wanted it?"

Levy made a pensive _hmm_.

"Well... I know where I _don't_ want it. For example, I'm not really interested to have a ring in the septum. I don't want to look like a bull."

Gazille frowned, staring at the bluenette as if she had sprouted a word in an ancient language.

"The... what?"

"Here, between the nostrils," she answered, pinching the part of her nose at the mentioned place. He scoffed.

"_Tch_, I should have known you would know the real word for that body part. Smartass."

The small fairy smiled widely, far from being insulted by his choice of word.

"Thank you. You should be glad: thanks to me, you'll go to bed much smarter, tonight."

"Whatever," he retorted with a roll of the eyes.

Levy giggled then placed her bag under her arm so she could use her free hand to take out the magazine. It didn't take long before she released his hand, as she would obviously need her own to hold the item open; Gazille immediately noticed the lack of warmth resulting from the gesture and the strange ache in his forearm that made him want to take back her hand. He scowled at his confusing reaction, while, oblivious to his dilemma, the script mage eagerly opened the magazine at the first page and started looking at the pictures.

"Those photos are not very professional," she said, frowning in disappointment at the low-grade quality of the pictures. The Dragon Slayer gave a look before shrugging.

"Meh, these aren't really made to be appreciated by a large public. There's not many magazines about piercing and tattoos, on the market since it's a more underground business."

The bluenette hummed to acknowledge his point of view but that didn't help improve her dampen enthusiasm. She concentrated her attention on the ornaments displayed on the models' various body parts. She had to admit, most of these jewels were quite pretty, but some other were far less pleasant to the eye.

"Is it... made of wood?" she asked Gazille as she pointed at a man who's lower lip was pierced twice by two large polished pointy sticks, one near each side of his mouth, making it look like he had tusks.

"Yeah, I guess... If it was made of metal, it would be much heavier and I'm pretty sure he couldn't hold his lip up like that."

Scrunching her nose, Levy flipped to the next page and saw a woman with an horizontal barbell under her left eye, just over the cheekbone.

"Ugh... There's not a lot of skin there, it must hurt."

She glanced up at the closest expert present and the man in question shrugged.

"Yeah, just like anywhere you get pierced. Wherever you chose, it will hurt, more or less; depending of the location, it can take a couple of months. The important is to keep them clean and to disinfect them often, so they can heal."

"Oh, I see," she replied as she turned the page, her mouth sticking out in a grimace at what she saw.

"In the eyelid, huh?" commented the Dragon Slayer with a crooked smile. The small fairy wasn't sharing his interest.

"That must be so uncomfortable..."

"That's without mentioning the infections," he added. She shook her head and flipped to the next page. On the main picture, there was about twenty rings inserted into a woman's naked back and each of them were linked by a silky ribbon, going all the way to the bottom where it was tied in a cute bow.

"It... It looks like a corset, no?"

"That's what it is."

She frowned.

"...I don't see what's the point of having one of these. How are you supposed to wear a bra if you have this on your back? It would hurt too much and wouldn't be pretty at all. Or are you expected to walk around without a bra? Or even without a shirt?"

"Here, it says it's a temporary piercing, it's not made to be kept for a long period of time," said Gazille as he pointed at the text at the photo's left.

"I see even less the point," the bluenette replied with a grimace. "If I get a piercing, I don't want to have to take it off, only after a few days. No way I'd suffer for something that isn't worth it."

The iron mage snorted in agreement as he looked at the content of the next few pages with the Munchkin. There was a dozen pictures of people with barbells in the eyebrows or in the lower lip, rings in the lips or in the septum, chains linking both ears or... some other part of the human anatomy...

Levy's eyebrows were long gone into her hairline, her mouth hanging open in shock while her face was growing hotter than a volcano. It wasn't the sight of the grown up man's nipples that embarrassed her to that point, it was what being pierced there would imply if she was to do something like that. The thought was already very embarrassing by itself but thinking about it made her recall that day, when they had gone to the beach and, while hiding in a cave, the iron mage had kinda proposed to stick his mouth between her breasts; useless to say that it didn't help her cool down, at all.

Fortunately, the iron mage didn't add anything as he seemed to think that she didn't deserve to be humiliated for now, or, at least, not on the subject of her breasts. Hoping to catch her breath, the young woman quickly flipped to the next page without another comment, where she saw photos of women, young and old, with a pierced belly button. That quickly caught her interest; the barbells were so cute and colored, while not being too big or too flashy and there was seemingly enough skin to avoid rejection. On top of that, the belly button was a more inconspicuous spot than the lip or the eyebrow, a point which pleased the script mage greatly, since she didn't really want everyone to know that she was pierced.

Gazille watched the bluenette, as she stared at the pictures with obvious interest, smiling to himself.

"Looks like you've made a choice."

Levy raised the head and met his eyes, a sheepish yet happy smile growing on her lips.

"Uh, yeah, I mean... well, it might be an option."

He was glad she had chosen something far less extreme than what they had seen in the magazine, so far. To be honest, he had thought that she would have wanted her ears pierced but she hadn't even given a second glance at the page in question, when they had come across it. Of course, he hadn't expected her to say she wanted pierced nipples; an answer in the affirmative would have probably freaked him out. Even though he had already come to the conclusion that Shorty was much more daring that she let on, he still liked to believe she was the cute and innocent type.

"Just tell me what design you'd like," Gazille added with a crooked smile, "and I'll make it for you. Maybe after my job?"

The bluenette nodded, obviously happy and excited about her future piercing. As she was putting the magazine away, she silently laughed to herself, prompting the iron mage to ask her what was so funny.

"I was thinking of how everyone was going to react when I'd show them," she answered with a smirk. Gazille immediately thought of her Boy Toys. When they would know that he had touched her there, they would certainly freak out... or faint. Or both.

"I wonder what Jet and Droy will think of it?" she added, more or less for herself. He scoffed.

"Seriously, I think they'll be too busy weeping because we _came back_ together to notice," the iron mage answered her, smirking at the prospect of a fight, something that hadn't happened for a while now and that he was craving for; his fists and legs itching for a good work out session. Lost in his violent fantasies, he didn't immediately notice that Levy had stopped walking, her face scrunched into a grimace.

"Oh no... I hadn't thought of that. They'll freak out, for sure."

Gazille looked over his shoulder with a uninterested pout.

"So what? Let them freak out, if they want. They'll get used to it, probably quicker than the first time."

The small fairy let out a hum in consent before coming back at his side.

"I don't doubt they will, but I'm pretty sure they'll be depressed, for a while. It's not very interesting hanging out with them, when they're like that, especially since I won't be able to do anything to lift their spirits."

"Then, tell them to grow a pair and to stop whining about that shit." Levy chuckled at his choice of words; after a short pause, he added, "If they are too annoying, just come over to our place. Lily and me will keep you company."

Hazel eyes met his ruby ones; a bright smile bloomed on her lips.

"Should I bring a folding screen?" she asked him, a teasing glint in her eyes.

The iron mage grinned.

"Ya won't have to: next time you'll come over, my bathroom will have walls."

Giggling, Levy slipped her left arm in the crook of his elbow, getting closer to him, before she said under her breath.

"I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> I forgot to mention it before but I also don't own The Alphabet of Manliness (it exists for real! google it, you'll see, just the cover is worth the search :P) as for Poetry for Cavemen, I don't think it exists... if it does, it's not mine :)

...and yes, you can actually cook stuff in your dishwasher. And thanks to me (and Levy) you guys now know what is a septum. Heh, it's a good thing when reading fanfiction teaches you real stuff, right?

^^ thank you again so much for your faves and reviews

(quick edit: fixed a noobie mistake, it's belly button and not belly bottom... haha *hides away in shame*)


	16. Falling

**Author's notes:** Yay for update! boo for short chapter :( but heh, I think you guys will like it :3

As usual, I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima is my master!

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**#16 Falling**

The sun was already high in the sky, when Lisanna woke up. First thing she noticed, the room was spinning and her head seemed to weight a ton, even though it was still on the pillow; it took her a moment to register the foreign scent surrounding her, as well as the white walls that were so not like the ones in her bedroom. Shifting her head so she could look at her left, the youngest Strauss saw that she wasn't alone in what she recognized as the guild infirmary. In the bed beside hers slept a white-as-death Lucy, while, at the stellar mage's other side, laid Juvia, Erza and finally Cana. They looked anemic, with their white faces and dark bags under their eyes, however, it was apparent that none of them were suffering, if the dreamy smile on their lips was any indication. The sight greatly helped the young woman remember what had happened to her, earlier; something about a certain blue-haired fairy, her iron-chomping companion and a reconciliation plan that had went well. Perhaps even a little too well...

Groaning, the fairy propped herself on her elbows then, after fighting a wave of nausea, slowly turned on her side before pushing on her arms to sit. She could barely hold her head up and felt weak as a kitten, as her dear sister's voice started ringing in her mind, telling her that it would be wiser to lay down again and sleep some more, but she ignored it. She was vexed at herself for ending up a victim of Levy and Gazille's waves of sexual tension; she had expected herself to be immune to it, considering she knew that they weren't really together. And yet, the sight had literally blown her away.

She could only think of two explanations: either these two took secret acting lessons or they weren't faking anymore.

Lisanna pushed a sigh and decided to stand up. She wanted to go eat something and recover as fast as possible before everyone else learned of her misadventure. Last thing she wanted was to be teased by Happy for having nosebleeded to death; the fact that she wouldn't be the only victim of the blue cat's wicked sense of humor, if he knew, did nothing to encourage her. Her only consolation was that Mira-nee was going to be very happy to hear that the iron Dragon Slayer and the script mage were back together, which made this whole embarrassing event sound a bit more positive.

The white-haired woman was letting go of the mattress to stand on her feet, when a deep voice called out to her.

"Oh, you're awake already, Lisanna."

Looking up, the fairy saw Pantherlily, who was hovering in front of her, at eye level. The exceed was giving her a worried look.

"Maybe you should rest a bit more," he added, frowning, "you still look pale."

She smiled, while getting up for good.

"Nah, I'm okayyy-" Her voice wavered as her left leg buckled but, thanks to Lily who had quickly flown to her rescue and caught her by the back of her shirt, she was saved from a painful encounter with the floor, "I just need to eat something."

Her answer earned her a disapproving shake of the head from her friend.

"Wendy would scold you, if she knew you were out of bed," said Lily with a little smirk, helping her walk out of the infirmary and make her way to the bar. "She didn't leave your side, all morning."

"I hope we weren't too much trouble," Lisanna said, smiling at the mental image of the little Sky Dragon Slayer waving a stern finger at her, before taking a seat at the closest bar stool available.

"She was quite worried, at first," the cat replied, chuckling, "but she was also glad to hear that Levy and Gazille made up. Although I had some trouble coming up with a good explanation of why the fact that they kissed made you girls nosebleed and faint. I had to be creative, Charle was ready to rip me a new one," he added with a nervous gulp.

"Ugh... sorry for that," she muttered with a wince before asking of Wendy and her cat's whereabouts.

"They went to see Porlyusica," Lily answered, while thinking that it was a good thing he had to stay behind; he seriously didn't want to be nearby if Wendy asked the veteran healer about nosebleeding women.

He flew to the kitchen and came back with some chicken leftover, earning himself a _thank you_ from the woman, who's eyes twinkled at the sight of food. While she fed herself, the young Take Over mage gave a look around the almost deserted restaurant area of the guild; Macao and Wakaba were reading the newspaper, while Kinana was cleaning the tables. Since it was Monday morning, it wasn't unusual that the place was almost empty. A glance at the clock told her that in less than an hour, at lunch time, it wouldn't be the case anymore.

Meanwhile, Lily took place on the counter, in front of Lisanna, with a peeled kiwi in hand. He was innocently savoring his favorite fruit, when he asked her a question.

"Do you think this incident will help speed things up between them?"

The young woman sighed, her eyes closed.

"I sure hope so. There's enough sexual tension between them to cut it with a knife."

Lily let out a soft chuckle, which had, in spite of it's quiet nature, the effect of a slap for Lisanna. She sat up straight and stared at the black exceed with wide eyes, her eyebrows long gone into her hairline.

"You... You know the truth?"

He nodded, a knowing smirk on his lips.

"I'm not the only one who does, apparently."

She blinked.

"B-but... how? Since when?"

"Pretty much since the beginning," he answered before eating a slice of kiwi. "How about you?"

"Uhm... since they started dating," she replied before telling him of her implication in the plan and how she coached them to be better _lovers_. The exceed smiled at the mention of Gazille being taught how to hug; a sight he would have gladly paid to see.

"How did you find out about me knowing?" Lisanna asked between two bites of cold chicken. She had been certain that her acting had been perfect.

"You were mumbling, when I found you under the windowsill," he said. "You were saying _'They can't be faking this...'_ over and over. It must have been quite a sight, for you to react this strongly." There was a teasing glint in his brown eyes that made the young woman blush in embarrassment.

"Ugh, tell me about it." She had feared Happy's teasing but it seemed that she should have been more worried about Pantherlily's. Who would have thought that from the usually so composed exceed? The cat in question made an amused _hmph_.

"Does your sister know the truth?"

Lisanna shook her head.

"I don't think she does; she was quite depressed, when she left with Master. She had put so much effort into making them fall in love with each other and she was certain that they had started dating, thanks to her."

"She'll be glad to know that they are back together, won't she?"

"Yeah, but for how long?" she asked with a sigh. "If they break up for good, that'll make her sad again."

Lily's smirk grew wide, showing off his canines.

"Don't worry about this; it might take a little while for him to admit it but Gazille is already attached to Levy. I don't think he's going to give up on her, now."

The white-haired woman smiled; Natsu had said something similar, a few days ago. Maybe it was true. Maybe she didn't need to worry about these two; they would just eventually grow closer and discover their feelings for each other, at their own pace.

"So... we just let them be?" she asked out loud, an inquiring eyebrow raised on her forehead.

"I think we've done everything we could; they should be able to manage on their own, now. If need be, we could always just nudge them into the right direction again." Lily winked, referring to the little plan from this very morning. Lisanna's smile grew until it linked both of her ears.

"I'll have to make sure to not get caught, this time," she said, chuckling along with the cat.

A few minutes later, the door of the guild opened to let in Master Makarov, who looked quite happy to be back home, greeting back the other members with enthusiasm, while the usually cheerful and bright-eyed Mirajane, walking at his side, was dragging her feet in an completely dejected manner, looking like the perfect picture of the word _depression_. The woman's shoulders were slouched under the weight of her sadness, her eyes dull like a rainy afternoon, without a hint of a smile on her gorgeous face. As in a daze, she slowly made her way to the bar, where she barely acknowledged Kinana's greetings, before taking her usual place behind it and flopping her upper body down on the counter, her head buried in her forearms.

Lisanna exchanged a look with Lily; seemed like Mirajane did not have a good time.

"Morning, Mira-nee," tentatively greeted the young mage with a smile, even though it went completely unnoticed by the barmaid. "How was your trip?"

The white-haired beauty barely moved, beside a little shrug to answer what Lisanna guessed meant _Not bad_. She didn't move, when Kinana placed a cup of tea in front of her either.

"I see," Lisanna pursued in a knowing voice, "but you know what? I think your mood will greatly improve, when you'll know what happened, while you were away..."

Her words full of promise were enough to make Mirajane raise her head from the counter, her blue eyes full of melancholy that didn't believe that anything her sister could say would really make her feel better. Just as the youngest woman was about to announce the news, the door of the guild opened again and, as if it had been staged, the iron Dragon Slayer and the blue-haired script mage appeared in front of everyone, walking side by side with their arms linked. They made their way to the request board and the man started checking the posters, chatting with the young woman about something unknown.

"Ah, speaking of the dark mages..." the exceed said with a knowing smile, mirrored by Lisanna's. The barmaid blinked twice, staring at the couple as if she was expecting them to fade into nothingness, due to them possibly being the product of her imagination. However, when she saw Levy's brilliant smile directed at a slightly smirking Gazille, her eyes started widening in shock.

"All the girls from the Romantic Squad, plus Lily, came up with a little _reconciliation plan_," commented Lisanna, while observing the duo standing near the request board. "Some of us ended up _wounded,_ but, as you can see, it worked."

"R-Really?" whispered Mirajane with a relieved smile growing on her lips and eyes becoming wet.

They witnessed Gazille take something out of his duffel bag, the one he had left there, this morning, and giving it to the small fairy. It was a small box which contained something that they couldn't see from their position however, whatever it was, to say it made Levy happy was an understatement. Upon seeing the content, she literally squealed in joy and pounced on the black-haired man, a reaction that hadn't been expected from him, judging by his dumbfounded expression and his madly blushing face.

Lily chuckled, Lisanna snorted and Mirajane wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"See?" said Lisanna. "They're all good, now."

"Thank Mavis," whimpered the barmaid, who couldn't hold back her emotions.

* * *

><p><strong>A few minutes earlier<strong>

Standing in front of the request board, Gazille was looking for a job he could do quickly but that would give him enough Jewels to help him with his new renovation project. He would build some walls for the bathroom, as well as making a room for Lily, who had mentioned wanting one, not long ago. He knew he couldn't just shape iron walls, since the humidity of the shower would make them rust, so he planned to buy building materials, with the money he would earn today. He had spoken of this project with Levy, on their way to the guild.

"It should be done by tomorrow," he added, his eyes on the posters in front of him. The bluenette made a dubious pout that he witnessed from the corner of the eye.

"It seems to be a lot of work to be done by tomorrow, no?"

"Nah," the iron mage shrugged, "it's just a couple of walls and one or two things on the side; plus, Lily's gonna work too. It's no big deal."

Levy didn't seem to agree with him but he didn't mind. Lily and him made an awesome team; renovating their home was going to be easy as pie.

"Even though you guys are strong," she said, "the only way you could pull it off in less than twenty-four hour would be to skip sleeping and maybe even eating. That wouldn't be wise; you would only end up exhausting yourselves. Or maybe even getting hurt."

Gazille turned his gaze on her with a raised eyebrow; his expression was clearly saying that the idea of his cat and himself getting hurt or falling from fatigue was completely ridiculous. The corner of the script mage's mouth raised slightly.

"Okay, okay, forget what I said," she said, raising her free hand in surrendering, understanding that it was futile to argue with his ego, "but I still don't understand the hurry to do it in such a short time."

He shrugged again.

"Well, the faster it's done, the less you'll have to deal with your Drama Queens, right?"

Levy couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her, a brilliant smile blooming on her face that made Gazille smirk. His guts twisted again and he told himself it was because he was getting hungry. Setting his eyes back on the board, he picked up a bouncer's job in a club, for tonight. It did occur to him that choosing that job would cut on his time to renovate the apartment, but the pay was quite interesting and the chance to beat up someone was high. He was convinced that he could still pull it off and, in the worst case scenario, he really would skip sleeping to finish in time.

He turned around to show the poster to the small fairy and quickly recalled he had told her he would pierce her navel, after his job. Of course, a bouncer job implied he wouldn't be done before three am, at least; he was pretty sure that she would be in bed, at that time. She must have sensed what he was thinking because, before he could say a word, she gave him an understanding smile.

"It's okay, you'll make it for me, some other day," she shrugged, "that'll just give me more time to choose a design. Anyway, when we went to the bookstore, I remembered that I also had something important to do: I need to get my Gale-force reading glasses repaired and I think it'll probably take a while." Then, she cupped her chin pensively, talking to herself. "Now that I think of it, I haven't seen them, lately..."

Gazille raised an eyebrow at her words.

"You're talking about your red glasses, right?" he asked her. When she nodded, he made his way to his duffel bag, not far from them, and started digging in it, looking for a box he had brought along. He soon handed it over to her, explaining.

"I wanted to give them back to you sooner but... well, you know." He didn't think he needed to say it: their argument had pretty much shook their lives up. She opened the lid of the box and gasped; her eyebrows disappearing in her hairline, as she stared at her beloved magical item that looked almost new. He had repaired the branch with a wing-shaped iron joint that he had replicated on the other branch to make it look like it was part of the original design. Even though he had done a meticulous job, he unfortunately didn't have paint to mask his modification, so anyone owning a pair of these would suspect that they had been repaired. It was still ten times better than scotch tape, though.

Speechless, the bluenette was frozen on the spot, with her mouth hanging open, and the sight was starting to make him nervous. What if she wasn't happy with his work? He was perfectly aware that she loved those glasses and they were pretty expensive, too; he seriously hoped that he hadn't messed up by tinkering with them.

"Munchkin, look," he started, "if you're not happy..."

He wanted to add _I'll buy you a new pair_, but the words never left his mouth. Indeed, the moment he said _Munchkin_, Levy raised her head to look at him in the eyes, as if she had just remembered he was there, and a wide grin appeared on her lips. Next thing he knew, she was letting out a deafening scream that burst his eardrums then pounced on him, effortlessly sending him to the ground and knocking the wind out of him. Dizzy and confused by what had just happened, he could only blink dumbly at the sight of the small fairy sprawled over him, with her arms around his head and her face hovering at a dangerously close distance above his, her eyes twinkling in obvious delight. It had occurred to him, by now, that she was probably not angry at him for fixing her glasses.

Taking notice of their current position, the thought of pushing her away and getting back on his feet crossed his mind, but it got completely eradicated by the feeling of her mouth suddenly making contact with every single inches of skin of his face, prompting his eyes to grow wide, his brain to go blank and his whole face to burst on fire, all the way to the tip of his ears. He was so shocked by Shorty's unsuspected display of affection that it took him a while to realize that between her hundreds of excited kisses and giggles, she was still trying to express her gratitude toward him.

"Oh, this is..." she almost purred, while punctuating every pause with more pecks, "I can't believe you did... The best gift... This is too much!"

"Oi, Munchkin..." he called out to her in a deceivingly weak voice, while doing his best fighting the major blush on his face. It wasn't working too well.

"I'm so happy!" she smooched him again on the nose. "You shouldn't have!" she kissed him a few times on the cheeks. "It's so nice of you!"

"That ain't much," he mumbled, while doing his best to ignore the fluttery feeling in his guts provoked by her compliments.

"You're just the greatest!" she pursued happily, a couple of pecks on his chin. He growled; could he just stop blushing already?! They were going to attract attention and the last thing he wanted was to be caught doing something as unmanly as _blushing_. But the fairy just kept thanking him, over and over, while giggling and grinning and looking happier than he had ever seen her be.

He was finally recovering from his initial shock, since he could feel his arms respond to the cries of his ego; he managed to put his hands on her waist, well intended to help himself out of this embarrassing yet not so unpleasant situation. However, he never expected what happened in the split-second that followed: the bluenette cupped his cheeks with both hands and met his eyes with a heated gaze fueled by the ecstasy she was filled with.

And then, he heard the kind of words a man like him would have never even hoped to hear, in his lifetime. A few words said by a woman he held dear to his rumored non-existent heart, that, when coupled with her soft lips meeting his in a passionate kiss, short-circuited his whole being into a mindless heap, with wide as saucers' eyes and a unresponsive tongue.

The moment had felt like an eternity yet it hadn't lasted more than a second. Some still conscious part of him noticed that Levy had let go of his head, that it had fallen back on the floor but it hadn't hurt, most likely thanks to the shock; he heard her call out Bunnygirl's name and run off, squealing again about her repaired glasses. Well, he supposed it was about that; honestly, he wasn't sure because his hearing was slightly muffled by the heavy thumping in his ears.

He was still lying on the floor, a few seconds later, when Lily came into his field of vision, with a smirk and a worried yet amused look on his face.

"Are you okay?"

The voice had the effect of a slap for Gazille, who blinked and felt his face grow hot again, especially at the amused whispers of the others, not too far from them. Cursing under his breath, he jumped on his feet, faster than a blink, picked up his duffel bag and the flier for his job before quickly making his way out of the guild, followed by a chuckling Lily, who couldn't hold back his grin.

Seemed like things were really speeding up between his two favorite mages.

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> ooh! What could she have possibly told him to make him react this way? I'll let you ponder on that (just a hint: think fluffy:P)

Reading and Faving and REVIEWING is an awesome way to make my day! Don't be shy ^^

...

_edited some grammar mistakes that makes me want to hide under my bed for a week. really, pikinanou, you've got no shame... Ulcaasi, feel free to slap some sense back into me, anytime :/_


	17. Skipping over a minefield

**Author's notes:** Hi there. Long time no see, isn't it? Allow me to introduce you to the new chapter that took me 4 months to make and is actually the 6th or 7th version of the chapter... add a bit too much of Real Life into the count and voila! you have it. (seriously that was almost worse than going into labor T.T)

Of course, while I went missing, I didn't get the ownership of Fairy Tail. It still belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Please, enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**# 17 Skipping over a minefield**

_How did it come to this?_

This was the question Gazille had spent the last two days asking himself, over and over again. How could such a thing happen to him? Or, more precisely, how could he NOT anticipate it? He wasn't dumb and had always considered himself to be pretty sharp, yet, that hadn't prevented him to be caught off-guard; the foreign _thing_ had hit him straight in the chest and left him without a breath or a word, while his world toppled over, sending him head first into unknown territory without a safety line to hang on to.

And when he had managed to stand back on his feet... he had realized that he had just fallen for the Munchkin. _Literally._

He would be lying if he said the thought had never _ever_ crossed his mind, in the past; after all, with Lily around, it would have been pretty hard not to. He had noticed, especially in the few hours after he made up with her, that leaving her out of his sight had become difficult and his own hands had been aching to touch her, time and time again. He had already suspected something was not right with him, when his body had started reacting to the tiniest touch, eye contact or smile and that was without mentioning the effect her scent had had on his mind... Despite all that, it wasn't until she _thanked_ him for the repaired glasses that he realized exactly what he was dealing with.

Of course, hearing the words _I just love you so much_ greatly helped, too.

Now, he wasn't dumb enough to believe she had _meant_ to say those words. He knew that she had been referring to her glasses, that her words had been an innocent statement of gratitude, instead of a love declaration, but hearing it from her, especially with the ecstatic voice she had used, had triggered some serious self-questioning for him. For the next two days, he had been struggling with himself to understand what was happening to him, why her words had affected him that much and what it finally meant, if his heartbeat was speeding up like crazy, every time he thought of her, or his guts filled with freaking butterflies. The confusion had lasted until he finally accepted to talk about it with Lily, who had patiently listened to his endless rambling, sorted his messed up words into correct informations before helping him analyze their meaning and make him see the (obvious) facts.

_"You love her,"_ he had said, with a knowing smile, _"it just took you that long to realize it, because you're the most pigheaded bastard this world has ever known."_

He still recalled the shiver that had crossed his spine, at that moment. Hearing the word _Love_ never failed to disturb him, as he had long stopped believing any good could come out of it. Metalicana's betrayal had clearly taught him that entrusting your heart to somebody else was like asking to be stabbed and left behind to rot; only idiots that didn't know better would seek it and he had always considered himself smarter than that. It was mostly why he had always kept to himself, in the past, why he never really sought company in a woman (beside the occasional _encounter_ to release some tension, something he hadn't done in a while) and also why he had been so against the idea of being forced into a relationship by Mirajane. By leading a life without commitment, without deep attachment, he had believed he wouldn't have to fear of being deceived again and that would have been exactly what would have happened, if the Barmaid hadn't forced him in a corner and made him agree to date the Munchkin. He would have resumed living his life of daily fights and music, with his cat and his iron, totally ignorant of all the trouble that came with a relationship.

However, if he had done that, he would have never met the _real_ Levy, the one who was much more brave and mischievous than he had imagined. He wouldn't have been blown away by her wits and cheerful personality, which had warmed him up enough to allow her in his (very small) circle of friends. He wouldn't have grown fond of her to the point he started to care for her health or her happiness; he wouldn't have started to grow greedy of her smiles, her laughter or her attention. He wouldn't have become addicted to the sound of her voice or her delicious scent... her exhilarating touches or even her kisses...

He wouldn't have, as Lily claimed, _fallen in love_ with her.

Despite this revelation, his common sense was clearly against the idea of claiming her as HIS woman, for the very good reason that they had started dating with the clear intent to prove they _wouldn't_ make good lovers. He was pretty sure Levy still believed it was the case; even though she seemingly enjoyed his company, what were the chances that she could be interested in having a genuine relationship with him? Him, who had done such cruel things to her, in the past. She might have forgiven him for his past actions, as she had claimed, but would her clemency go as far as to allow him in her heart? He seriously doubted it, which was why he didn't plan to act on his new-found feelings. He wasn't going to ruin that _almost_ intimate thing between them with his desires, even if it was going to be a real torture.

This decision mainly explained why he hadn't left the safety of his apartment, yet; he didn't know if he was going to be able to keep himself in check, when he would face her. He had no idea if he was going to be strong enough to fight his instinct and keep his hands to himself. While chewing over those thoughts, he found himself procrastinating his meeting with her, hoping his courage would eventually appear and act as a shield for his longing. He knew he couldn't keep doing that, though: if he didn't show up soon, she might get the wrong idea and think he didn't want to see her anymore, which was the complete opposite of what he really wanted.

His stomach was buzzing with butterflies, when he put on a clean shirt and a coat to shield himself from the rain, outside. Despite his hesitation, he had to go to the guild to show he was still alive and kicking. Fortunately for him, the current weather was probably going to keep her busy with her nose buried in a book, which should give a break to his racing hormones... as long as she didn't kiss him like last time.

He slipped his boots on and placed his right hand on the handle of his front door before taking a long breathe to steady himself. He was going to go through this. He was going to succeed at the goal he had set for himself, which was to act as if nothing had changed and suppress his feelings until they disappeared; if he had managed to fool Ivan Dreyar and Raven Tail with his acting, he could do something as _easy_ as this, right? Of course. It was no problem for Gazille Redfox.

With eyes of a conqueror and a chest puffed in determination, he turned the handle to step out of his apartment, well intended to win this fight, but his plans suddenly crashed down, as his eyes took on the petite form of a young woman standing on his porch, looking at him with hazel eyes filled with surprise, her wavy blue hair hidden under a bright yellow umbrella and a fist raised to knock at his door.

* * *

><p>He almost jumped backwards, when their eyes met; the bluenette blinked, obviously taken aback by his sooner-than-expected appearance, before a wide smile bloomed on her lips, the surprise in her eyes replaced by her trademark cheerfulness.<p>

"Hi, Gazille."

The sound of his name stirred up the freaking butterflies in his guts; he unconsciously put an hand on his stomach and opened his mouth to greet her back but, instead, he heard himself growl in annoyance.

"Whatcha doin' here?"

He had even furrowed his eyebrows, out of habits; per chance, she didn't seem to mind his rude reply.

"I came to see you," she answered, as if it was evident, "Lily told me you guys were done with your renovations."

"Ah, yeah," he said, removing his hand from his belly before nervously scratching the back of his neck. Some rain drops bounced off her umbrella and fell on him, making him realize that he was making her stand in the bad weather. He quickly gestured for her to come in.

"Hurry inside, will ya?" he said as he stepped aside. The small fairy obediently complied, closing her umbrella and shaking the excess of water from it. He was about to close the door behind her, when he realized something that made him frown.

"Did you come here by yourself?"

She shook her head.

"No, Lily escorted me," she explained as she placed her umbrella against the door frame, "but he went back to the guild; he said he had something to do, there." She paused, giving him an hesitant look. "Does it... bother you, that I came? If you were busy, I can leave you to do your things..."

Her smile had lost a bit of its shine, when she said that; the Dragon Slayer quickly denied.

"Nah, I was just... doing... stuff," he said, while avoiding her soul-sucking gaze, closing the door behind them. He thought his answer had sounded lame, but, yet again, she didn't seem to mind. Her smile widened again.

"That's good. Since I didn't see you at the guild for two days, I was starting to think you might be angry at me," she said jokingly, though her crooked smile seemed politely accusing. He didn't have time to ponder on its real meaning because her eyes fell on his renovated apartment, immediately shifting her attention away from his previous lack of signs.

"Wow," she exclaimed in awe, looking left and right to try to see everything at once, "it's barely recognizable!" She started making her way forward, noticing first the new cupboards and pantry in the kitchen. The pile of _snacks_ beside the fridge was now placed in a huge metal wired crate and three bar stools had been built to stand behind a breakfast bar separating the cooking area from the dinning room area. The table hadn't changed much, beside the addition of two new chairs; a small coffee table was now standing in front of the couch, in the living room, and a set of walls, plus a sliding door, at its left hinted at the presence of a new room.

"Lily's room," Gazille explained, when Levy turned an inquiring look on him.

"Does he still sleep in a drawer?" she asked with a little smile. The iron mage let out an amused _hmph_, sliding the door open to show her the room in question. Their eyes fell on a sparkling clean and tidy space with the bare necessities: a desk, a rack for the Musica sword and the very same chest of drawers that used to be beside Gazille's bed.

"I wanted to make him a regular bed," said the Dragon Slayer, "but he said he sleeps better in here."

Levy giggled behind her hand before turning toward the rest of the flat; at the right side, right after the kitchen, huge piles of metal parts were aligned near the wall, along a bunch of weapons and some chests filled with other things of some value. There wasn't much left, compared to the amount of stuff that used to take up the space, which, of course, didn't exactly guarantee that the rest of the house was clutter-free; there were some gizmos and random trinkets here and there, but most of Gazille's things were in that new designed corner. Finally, at the other end of the apartment, a long wall was hiding the two remaining features of the place. Two sliding doors were visible, one beside the other, which led to Gazille's bedroom and the bathroom. The bluenette gladly skipped to the latter, poking her head inside, where she saw a big wooden vanity, a toilet and a shower in the corner with the same white curtain than before.

"Ooh... that looks nice. It's at least twice the size of my own bathroom." She turned back toward her host. "Personally, I would have included a bathtub, but it's a perfect setting for you two. You must be happy with all those changes."

The Dragon Slayer distracted himself from her alluring smile by scoffing and crossing his arms over his chest.

"_Tch_, it was fine before all that," he said. "I just wanted to build walls for the bathroom, but Lily started making more plans and, before I knew it, the whole flat had changed."

It was more or less the truth: his cat had shamelessly insinuated that the script mage would be much more comfortable, if the place looked more like a regular home, making him go a bit overboard to renovate the whole thing.

"Well, I think you did a very good job," she replied, "but you guys mustn't have slept much, right?"

That would be an understatement. The man had stayed awake for almost forty-eight hours, doing the bouncer job he had picked up and, then, renovating the apartment. He had only been able to get some shut-eye around four o'clock, this very morning, and had awaken around noon, less than two hours ago.

"I slept more than enough," he answered, to which Levy rolled the eyes, unsurprisingly knowing it was his ego talking. Seeing her react normally to his words had a soothing effect on him; sure, his insides were still agitated and his muscles were twitching with adrenaline, but it was far from being as terrible as he had feared. If things stayed at this level, he was confident he could keep himself in check.

After a short pause, the small fairy gave him an amused look.

"Have you eaten, yet?" she asked him, her head tilted in a cute manner. He frowned in confusion.

"Uh? No, why?"

Her eyes darted to his belly, making him do the same to see, just as she did, that his hand was back on his stomach; she giggled softly.

"How about we go grab a bite?" she asked him, as he quickly dropped his hand and scowled at his unplanned gesture. "That's where you were going, before I arrived, right?" she pursued. He cleared his throat.

"Ugh, no, not really... Anyway, I can't: I'm short on cash."

"Oh, it's okay, I'm treating you," she immediately replied but Gazille's answer came faster than a blink.

"No."

Her smile fell, as she was taken aback by his blunt refusal.

"W-Why not?" she asked with obvious disappointment, her stuck out lower lip looking awfully appealing to him. He chose to turn on his heel to escape temptation.

"Because I said no," he answered as he made his way toward his kitchen. "I won't make you pay for me."

The sound of her booted footsteps told him she had started following him.

"When we went to Ray's Palace, _you_ paid for my food. How is that different?"

"It just ain't the same thing," he replied stubbornly, going around his _snack_ crate to stand near his pantry, while Levy approached the breakfast bar and leaned her forearms on it, eyeing him with a pensive pout.

"Oh, I see: it's a guy thing, isn't it?" she asked after a short while, a teasing smirk on her lips and her arms crossed on the counter top. He glanced at her over his shoulder, before closing the door of the almost empty pantry and opening his fridge's door. She rolled her eyes again at his stubbornness, though he only saw it from the corner of the eye. All this talk about eating was making him really hungry, but there weren't many options, as they were apparently due for grocery shopping. He wasn't going to accept the Munchkin's offer, though; it would be a serious blow to his pride and Lily would probably gut him open.

"Me treating you for lunch isn't much different than summoning _Iron_ to feed you, when you think about it," she added to convince him to agree, when he let out a growl at the serious lack of anything substantial in the fridge, however, the man held his position and, instead, grabbed a jar of peanut butter and a round loaf of bread in the pantry. He tossed these items on the breakfast bar without much ceremony, right in front of the script mage, who raised an eyebrow, obviously amused by his obstinate attitude. She surely understood how pointless it was to insist, at that point, as she simply giggled and accepted his gestured offer to share a meal with him.

Gazille morphed his hand into a knife and cut the loaf into generous slices. While he was busy spreading the peanut butter on the bread, Levy propped her head in her right hand, watching him work. She had taken place on a bar stool, put her bag on the counter and removed her raincoat, revealing the loose white top, gray brown shorts and usual brown boots she was wearing underneath. He handed her the first slice of bread, that she gratefully accepted. While she took her first bite, he allowed himself a subtle glance in her direction. As expected, being this close to her was nerve-wracking; his heartbeat had sped up like crazy, ever since she had stepped in the apartment, and he couldn't hold her gaze without feeling his guts frantically knot themselves (that was without mentioning her scent and its intoxicating effect on him). He had been extra careful to not touch her, despite his fingers aching for it, and was currently glad that Lily had left them alone. While they were by themselves, the Munchkin didn't have to pretend to want to touch him or, _Mavis forbid,_ to kiss him and, in his current situation, the iron mage couldn't be thankful enough for this small favor.

Even under such circumstances, he knew he couldn't afford to drop his guard. For example, very normal things she was doing, like smiling or moving a strand of hair out of her face, were painfully appealing to him. Hell, even watching her eat that damn slice of bread was a real torture for his mind, who had absolutely no shame imagining things he wasn't supposed to be thinking about. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth, then, to lick some peanut butter off her lips, and it was like a blow in the guts. Gazille dropped his head and let out a tiny groan that he had hoped to be quiet enough to not being noticed by her, but he found out he wasn't that lucky.

"Are you alright?" the small fairy asked with concern, tilting her head to meet his eyes, which were slightly hidden by his lowered head. He only hummed in agreement, afraid he would stutter, or worse, if he tried to use words. He was taking a long breath by the nose to ease himself, when he suddenly picked up a strange scent lingering around them, that reminded him of those cleaning products that couldn't be found in his house, since their scents were too harsh for Lily's and his noses. Raising the head, he sniffed the air again and brought his gaze on the potential source, sitting on the counter top, barely a feet away at his right.

"There's a weird smell coming from your bag," he stated with a frown. Levy let out a confused _Uh?_ before bringing her own gaze down on the item; a fraction of a second later, her face illuminated itself in understanding.

"Ah, yes," she said as she took out a small plastic package from her bag, "it's probably the navel piercing kit I've brought; it's all pre-sterilized."

She showed him the bag in question, which contained a clamp, a needle in a tiny sealed bag, pliers probably used to hold the needle, gloves, an alcohol swab, a tiny bottle of cleaning solution, a body marker and a stainless steel barbell also in a sealed package. The man made a small nod, agreeing that it was the source of the foreign smell, until the information reached a part of his brain that analyzed it as _what it implied_ to be shown a navel piercing kit by the small fairy...

It implied fulfilling his promise about piercing said woman's belly button, which, in turn, implied he would have to bear the sight of her lying on her back, partly _denuded _and displayed as an offering to him, with the soft skin of her best physical asset waiting for his touches... while being obviously **forbidden **to surrender to the temptation of running his hands, mouth and tongue all over it...

Useless to say that just thinking about it was making his blood rush downwards.

* * *

><p>This... couldn't be good. It spelled trouble in so many ways, it would almost be less hazardous to go skipping over a minefield. The worst in this situation was that he couldn't say to have changed his mind about the piercing, since <em>he<em> had been the one insisting to give her one, thinking it would make her look more spunky, that it could break that perfect little angel image she was stuck with... That had been BEFORE he realized he was crazy about her, of course.

_Fucking dumbass. _Why didn't he give her a damn book, just like anyone else? It would have been fine, she would have been happy and he wouldn't be in this mess. But _noooo_, he had wanted to give her something _original_ and _unexpected_, all this for the pleasure of witnessing her becoming all flustered over it.

Again. _Fucking. Dumb. Ass._

Of course, Levy had absolutely no idea of Gazille's inner turmoil, that was giving him ideas along the lines of stabbing his own leg with his knife-shifted hand to calm down; the poker face he was displaying was perfectly hiding the nature of his real thoughts.

"A piercing kit, huh?" the man said as he picked up and held the bag at eye level, raising an eyebrow and faking nonchalance, "and here I thought you would have gotten cold feet, in the past two days."

Levy let out a small amused _hmph_.

"On the contrary, I've been ready for a while, now; while you were working here, I've read every single publication about piercing I found at the bookstore and, yesterday, I even went as far as to find a real piercing shop, where I got answers to all of my questions and finally ended up buying this kit."

It was Gazille's turn to snort.

"For someone who didn't want it, at first, you're sure excited," he said, placing the bag on the counter between them. "Why didn't you get it done, yesterday, while being at the shop?"

Levy made a small shrug, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Well... if I had done it, then, it wouldn't have counted as a birthday gift from you, right? It just wouldn't have been the same."

The Dragon Slayer blinked, taken slightly aback by her answer; the greedy side of him was purring in happiness knowing that she wished to be touched by HIM, but he was perfectly aware that it wasn't good to have such thoughts. Wolfing down his bread, he turned around and walked to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.

"Alright," he said as he turned back to face her, wiping his hands with a towel, "let's just get this done with. Too late to change your mind, now."

"Yay!" the small fairy cheered, jumping down from the bar stool with her kit in hands, obviously excited about what was to come, "so, where should we do this?" she asked out loud, with a finger to her chin. "On the couch? Or maybe on your bed?" She turned in the direction of the bedroom, making him see for the first time that her loose white shirt had an open back that allowed him to see her bare skin down to her lower waist. That unexpectedly sexy sight, combined with her shorts that were outlining her butt and the way she suggested to use his bed, almost had him loose his mind, right on the spot. He even started nosebleeding, but he was currently standing behind her and he, luckily, got time to clean his nose and put his poker face back on, before she peeked over her shoulder to hear his answer.

"The couch's sagging, it won't be comfortable," Gazille managed to say with a straight face, to his own surprise.

"Ah, we should use your bed, then?" she asked again, blinking innocent eyes at him, while unknowingly playing with the strings of his self-restrain. He felt like groaning. Seriously, fighting his own desires was much harder than he had thought; he honestly didn't know how long he could hold on before he would snap. Per chance, he was saved from answering her question by a thought that popped into her mind. "Oh, but if we do it on your bed, we could possibly stain it; that's not good... Oh, I know!" she exclaimed, skipping to the kitchen table, "here, it's good, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Gazille muttered, letting out a subtle relieved sigh. That had been close; if they had gone into his bedroom, in his current state, he honestly couldn't have answered for anything. The bluenette didn't waste a single second before hoisting herself on the table. The iron mage took on the sight in silence, for a second, telling himself that, finally, the table wasn't a much better idea than the bed: when she lied down, her position couldn't be called anything else than sexy, which did nothing to help pull his mind out of the gutters. Feeling another rush of blood about to come out of his nose, the man gave the pretext to want to fetch a pillow to escape to his bedroom, where he allowed himself a few seconds of reprieve, taking deep breaths by the nose and thinking very very hard about an image that turned him off, like Master Makarov wearing a g-string...

He eventually came back at his guest's side and placed the pillow under her in a way that inclined her upper body slightly, which would allow her to see him without having to crank her neck. When he concluded that she was comfortable and he couldn't find any more reasons to delay, he came to stand at her side and picked up the piercing kit, doing his best to concentrate on the things he would have to manipulate for the first time instead than on the warm and inviting body within arms reach. He opened the bag and took out the tools one by one, not quite sure in what order he was supposed to use them. Seeing his hesitation, the bluenette spoke up.

"I bought this kit, because I had no idea how you would proceed or what exactly you needed, but don't feel obligated to use it, if you don't want to."

He scoffed lightly, keeping his gaze on the kit.

"_Tch_, you took the trouble to buy it, I'll use it," he said in his usual gruff way. He had already decided that he wouldn't use the same method with her than he had used for his own piercings, anyway, which was shaping a nail out of his finger and sticking it straight into his skin, without a care about the pain. Not only it would be cruel to do so, but there was also a possibility that she might contract infections or bacteria, if he used his own iron instead of the sterile needle included in the pack.

"Want me to guide you?" she asked him, after a few seconds of silence of his part. He raised his gaze to meet hers, keeping his focus to avoid another rush of desires; normally, he would have refused her help, for the sake of his male pride, but he supposed that things would go faster, if he let her lead.

"Guess you're the expert, this time."

His comment made her smile. She moved her hips slightly upwards to lift the hem of her shirt until her belly was completely exposed to him, before snuggling against the pillow and undertaking the task to lead him through the whole process.

"First, you have to take the barbell and place it over my belly button to find the right angle," she explained as she pointed at the sealed bag containing the jewel, "then, you use the marker to mark the entry and exit points."

As expected, the sight of her in this position was very _very_ distracting, but the iron mage put all his focus on following her instructions and keeping his face neutral.

"You wanna put this one on?" he asked her, showing her the tiny package. He had been under the impression that she had wanted him to make the jewel she would wear.

"I might as well," she replied, "at first, it's best to use a small barbell to not put any strain on the skin. The design I want you to make for me will be a bit heavy, so I'll save it for when it'll be healed."

He couldn't argue with her on that.

"You've done your homework," he praised her as he put on the gloves, took the sterile jewel out of its bag and placed it an inch over her navel.

"I always do," she replied with pride, keeping an attentive eye on his work. She indicated him the exact spot she wanted to be pierced, at the upper part of her navel, and he marked the points with the body ink marker, though he honestly believed he could have done without. He picked up the alcohol swab and cleaned her skin, as it was common sense that it was the next step, then he used the clamp the Munchkin pointed at and used them to hold the tissue in place. He knew that he had to take out the sterile needle out of its package, next, and use it to puncture her skin. Fingering the small item, his eyes darted to meet hers, in need to confirm that she wanted to go further; the resolve he saw in her eyes and the small nod she did encouraged him to continue.

Gazille couldn't help thinking that the small fairy was far braver than he had ever given her credits for. He couldn't detect any tension in her body as he worked; she was lying there in a seemingly relaxed state, as if she was doing such things on a regular basis. The only time he suspected the real level of stress she was enduring was when he secured the needle with the pliers and placed the pointy tip at the marked entry point; though she didn't utter a sound, she nervously bit her lower lip as the needle impaled her skin in a swift motion, which was followed by the insertion of the barbell into the path. The Dragon Slayer completed the job by securing the upper part of the jewel on the pin and removing the clamp, allowing him to see the final result of the Munchkin's belly shining with silver.

Gazille released a breath he hadn't noticed to have been holding, until then. It was done, at last! It felt like a huge weight was lifting off his shoulders, as a warm rush of endorphins flooded in his veins. He had done a lot of thrilling things, in the past, yet, he couldn't remember feeling this much stress when performing a task so simple; compared to this, acting as a spy had almost been a walk in the park. His greatest relieve was that he had successfully restrained his urges to jump on the table and surrender to temptation, which could have easily happened more than once.

He didn't realize he was daydreaming until he felt something warm cover his right hand; lowering his gaze, he saw that Levy's fingers were resting over his. Following her arm up to her face, the man met a pair of hazel eyes that were giving him a knowing look, making him realize with slight dread that she had caught him staring at her shamelessly. The huge smile blooming on her lips didn't help him fight the rush of heat rising to his face, nor did it calm down the butterflies in his guts.

"See?" she asked him with her head tilted in a cute manner, "that wasn't so bad, was it?"

* * *

><p><strong>End notes: <strong>So? Was it good? I hope so and, as usual, thank you so much for all your Faves and Reviews, I love them all. Btw, did you guys know that this story was nominated for the Best FT story of 2012? Apparently, it is possible to go vote on OoComputerFreakoO 's page on the story named The Best FT Fanfic of 2012.

Wow, I'm speechless to have one of my stories in a competition ^^ thank you again for your support and I promise you another chapter before 2014 :P


	18. Denying is cute and all, until

**Author's notes: **You know, when I said, last chapter, that I hoped I'd update before 2014, it was meant as a joke about my lack of updates... It wasn't supposed to happen for real... I blame my thirty years old crisis!

To make amend, at the end of this chapter, I shall present you my butt and you'll all be allowed to spank it. Until then, please enjoy. (btw, still don't own Fairy Tail.)

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**#18 Denying is cute and all, until...**

To say that Levy was happy, the next morning, would be an understatement: the young woman had woken up with a big smile on her face that she had been unable to get rid of, no matter how painful every single abdominal movement was and how _eventful_ her night had been. Ironically, the reason for her wonderful mood was exactly the same than the one for her discomfort, which was surprising, considering how pain would normally make her grumpy; even Lucy couldn't explain that strange phenomenon, though the stellar mage was far more preoccupied by Levy's new possession than by what it had done, so far.

"_You_ got a piercing? For real?!"

Smiling widely, Levy answered with a nod, relishing in the flabbergasted expression residing on her best friend's face. Though she wasn't the type of person that liked to show off, she couldn't deny the pleasant feeling of pride fluttering in her guts. When, soon after, Lucy challenged her to prove what she claimed with a dubious pout, the bluenette lifted her blouse to reveal her freshly pierced belly button; immediately, the blond mage's jaw went loose.

"I can't believe it..." she whispered, starring intensively at the silverish ornament, until Levy let the shirt fall back over it. "W-When did you...?"

"Yesterday," the script mage answered in a low voice, smiling, while pursuing her way between the guild's library aisles in search of some needed books. Gazille had gone out with Lily, this morning, and she planned to use this opportunity to conduct personal research.

"When you went to see Gazille?" Lucy asked again, to which Levy nodded in an almost smug way. The stellar mage mused over the information, for a few seconds, then raised an eyebrow, "...must have been his idea."

"It was a late birthday gift," Levy answered, dropping her gaze on the bookshelves in front of her, a little smile growing on her lips. Lucy considered her for a short moment.

"Really? Wow... Hard to say if he's good or bad at picking gifts," she ended up muttering, before a grin grew on her lips, "lucky for you that he didn't try to replace your eyebrows with studs."

Levy let out a laugh.

"Don't worry: I would have _never_ let him do that," she stated with a smirk, before choosing a large volume about _Guile_ grammar and adding it to the pile of books she had previously picked up. "Although, I didn't have to argue with him on this, since I was the one picking the spot."

The blond raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Really? It means you could have made him pierce your ears, instead? It would have been great: you could have finally been able to wear earrings."

"Y-yeah..." Levy hesitated before shrugging a little, "but the idea hadn't crossed my mind, back then..."

It wasn't true; she had considered getting her ears pierced, at first, when she had checked the magazine with Gazille, but had quickly dismissed the idea, when her eyes had fallen on the navel piercing page. She was perfectly aware of the iron mage's reason for having suggested a piercing: it had been to test her limits, to see if she would have had the guts to get out of her comfort zone. By picking a daring spot like this one, instead of the ears, she had meant to show him that she wasn't a _weakling..._ and had succeeded, if the admiring gaze he had cast on her, right after that, had been any indication. Just recalling how those garnet irises had plunged into hers, as if their owner had just realized her worth, was still enough to make her heart race with excitement and pride.

However, she feared that telling Lu-chan about the real reason of her choice would make the stellar mage go all _Mirajane_ on her; she would probably say that she was trying to get the iron mage's attention, by making herself more attractive to him, or something just as ridiculous.

"You're sure taking a lot of books," Lucy's voice pulled her back into the library, the woman in question gesturing to the growing pile of manuals and dictionaries Levy had stacked on the nearby table, "Have you decided to go on a job, after all?"

"No, it's to help me sleep," the bluenette answered, carefully stacking the books in her arms, while making sure they didn't directly touch her sore abdomen. Lucy frowned at her in confusion and she explained. "The skin of my belly has become so sensitive that, without healing magic, I can't stand anything touching it; I had trouble sleeping, last night, because of that. I want to use runes to subdue the pain, instead of repeatedly casting _Solid Script: Heals_ on my stomach."

"I see..." said the stellar mage before making a confused grimace, "but that means you're going to write runes on your belly?"

"Not on my belly," Levy giggled, "but on a magic sticker I'll apply over, until the pain fades away." She tilted her head while thinking aloud. "It should take about... three weeks, before I'm healed. More or less."

"Three weeks?!" Lucy winced. "That's awfully long."

"Not that long, when compared to the _conventional way_," replied the bluenette, who started taking her tower of literature toward the guild hall, "non-mages have to deal with pain for, at least, a month and it can take them a whole year before being completely healed, while, in my case, the runic enchantment and my healing magic should shorten that delay by half, perhaps even by two thirds." Carefully dropping her load on a table sitting just far enough from the crowd to let her work in peace, she let out a tired breath; despite the pain, she was sporting a brilliant smile, that contrasted with the disbelieving stare Lucy was giving her.

"You sure have guts, Levy-chan," the latter told her with a shake of the head, "now that I know all it implies, I'm not sure I'd get one, myself."

Levy smiled at her friend, while tying her hair into a ponytail.

"It's really not as bad as it seems," she chuckled, before opening all the books, side by side, on the surface of the table and taking a seat, "it's still more painful going to the dentist."

"That's what you say," the blond mage replied, having noticed the subtle wince that had wrinkled her friend's nose, when she had sat down, "but would you be ready to go through all that, again, if he offered you another one?"

The bluenette, who was currently fishing in her messenger bag for a notebook, her magic pen and her pair of reading glasses, let out a pensive _hum_.

"I'm not really interested in another piercing... except maybe for my earlobes," she admitted before putting her beloved glasses on her nose, "but it's not the pain that'd stop me, if this is what you mean." She eyed her best friend and gave her a reassuring smile. "I don't regret it one bit, Lu-chan, believe me."

As she picked up the nearest book to start working, the stellar mage placed both hands on her hips and observed her for a moment.

"Hmm... Must be what they mean, when they say _love makes you do crazy things_..." she mused out loud, a corner of her lips raising. Levy glanced up from the runes she was studying.

"Crazy things?" she asked with an amused smile, before going back to her book, "Sure, I suppose a piercing is somewhat _unusual_, but crazy? Not that much, compared to what we see here, everyday."

As if on cue, a loud crashing sound resonated in the guild hall, followed by an angry shout coming from Gray, laughter from Natsu, giggles from Lisanna and cheers from various other guild members; the blond mage sweatdropped at the not-so-surprising sight, while the bluenette grabbed an encyclopedia and resumed working, as if nothing had happened.

"But, in your case, it really is crazy, Levy-chan," Lucy insisted, her eyes still on the fire Dragon Slayer, who was dancing on a table, waving Gray's underwear like a flag, while dodging said mage's ice spells, "we all know that you'd have never agreed to it, if it hadn't been your boyfriend's idea..."

Levy let out an amused scoff, though she felt her cheeks warm up slightly.

"Not necessarily," she denied, "if it had been you, I'd have said yes."

The look Lucy answered her with was unsurprisingly sceptical.

* * *

><p>"Oh, come on... not again..."<p>

Scrunching her nose in frustration, Levy let out a little groan, as the runes on the magic sticker she was attempting to create popped out tiny red and blue sparkles, telling her that she had failed at her goal. Again. Which was _only _the fifth time, since she had started.

The bluenette rubbed her tired eyes and pushed a long sigh; she was honestly amazed by the amount of problems she had encountered, so far. When it wasn't a spelling mistake in the command symbols, the code failed to accomplish what she wanted; when it wasn't about the incompatibility between different types of grammar, it was the length of the coding that made it impossible for her to make it fit on her two square inch sticker, the latter being her current problem.

She had been well aware that rune magic was a tricky subject, but her past hour and half spent struggling had made her develop a much greater level of respect for those who mastered this art. She wasn't planning to give up on her project, though: not only it would hurt her pride as a language expert, but it would be also embarrassing to face Lu-chan later on, to who she had almost _bragged_ about the simplicity of making magic stickers...

Levy pushed another sigh, took a blank sticker and resigned herself to try again. For the next fifteen minutes, she didn't raise her gaze from her work and traced the symbols relentlessly, despite the cramp in her neck and her sore fingers; she didn't dare stop nor slow down, as she feared that a single second of distraction would ruin her hard work. After a while, she eventually wrote the very last symbol of her sequence and sat back in wait of a reaction, her breath caught in her throat. A weird pulse came out of the item, before it seemed to start... _attracting_ the air around it. That made Levy frown: it wasn't the kind of reaction she had been expecting.

"Did I fail again?" she mumbled to herself, giving a wary look at the sticker that she was half-tempted to put on, just to see what it would do. However, as those thoughts crossed her mind, someone touched her shoulder, making her jump in fright.

"Levy?" The startled woman spun on her seat to see who the voice belonged to: her eyes fell on a tall, green-haired man she knew well.

"Freed."

The man had an eyebrow raised in surprise that was quickly replaced by a guilty wince.

"Did I scare you? I'm very sorry," he said with an apologetic smile, removing his hand from her shoulder and standing at a more reasonable distance from her. "I called your name a few times, but it seems you were too engrossed by your work to hear me."

Releasing a breath, Levy smiled at the rune mage, feeling a blush cross her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Oh, uhm, sorry for that..." she apologized, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She was perfectly aware that this little habit of hers to lose contact with reality when she worked, was something that occurred way too often. She looked up at her interlocutor. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"I was actually curious of what you were working on," Freed said with a glance toward the many books and crumbled pieces of paper lying on the table, "especially this," he precised, pointing at the last sticker Levy had made, "is it for a client?"

"Oh, no," she quickly denied, "just a... personal project." The man raised an eyebrow, prompting her to give an explanation that she kept vague enough to not tell him about the piercing, "I'm making a _patch_ that would act as a painkiller, when applied on someone's body." Glancing at her potentially dangerous item, she added, "Well, it would be more accurate to say that I'm _trying_ to make a patch... My sequence is too big for my sticker; I've tried shortening it, but... that didn't work too well, so far."

The man hummed in understanding.

"Do you mind if I give it a look?" he asked her with an outstretched hand. Levy knew that her skills with rune magic were very limited, compared to the Raijinshu captain's, and she felt very nervous at the idea of showing him her attempts, but she still complied and gave him her notepad, hoping the man wasn't going to be too harsh with her. The rune mage started reading her scribbled notes in silence but, barely a second later, his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. The view made the bluenette's heart skip a beat: the man was obviously surprised by what he was reading but she couldn't tell if it was in a good or a bad way.

"Did you use a baseline to make this?" he asked her, after a slight pause. Levy shook her head.

"No, I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, in the manuals, so I started from scratch with my primary command." Freed didn't reply right away and Levy nervously shifted on her seat. "Is it... bad?" The rune mage turned his head to look at her, disbelief written all over his face.

"Bad?" he almost scoffed before his whole face illuminated itself, "Absolutely not, _this_ is flawless! I knew you were very talented, Levy, but I have to admit, I'm very impressed." The compliments unsurprisingly brought a blush to her cheeks, while the rune mage pursued. "Your sequence is perfect; to make it fit, it simply needs to be fragmented into smaller parts, so you can layer them all on top of another. I can teach you how to do that, if you want."

"R-Really?" she asked him, eyes wide in amazement, "you wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all," he answered her good-heartedly, before taking a seat at her side, "I've got plenty of time and I know that you have more than enough skills to learn it."

The bluenette attempted to hide the furious blush that took over her, then, but she was too happy and proud to succeed. She did her best to ignore her flaming cheeks, while she listened to the instructions Freed started giving her and, less than fifteen minutes later, she had started _stitching_ the layers of her sequence to a new sticker.

"Alright, and now," the green-haired mage guided her step by step, "you link this symbol with the primary command, but be careful to avoid touching the consequential codes." Almost crouched on her seat, Levy waved her magic pen between the layers floating over her magic sticker, while Freed was leaning a bit over her right arm to keep an eye on her work. Thread by thread, the fragments of her sequence were becoming one again and, in no time, her elegant writing started glowing in a soft purple light, indicating success.

"Congratulation, Levy, you made it," confirmed the rune mage with a smile full of pride, when the young woman sat back up straight, "and right on the first try, as expected." The script mage sighed in relief with a bright smile, proud and glad of what she had achieved.

"I did it. _At last!_" she cheered for herself, bouncing on her seat. She turned to him. "Thank you so much, Freed. I..." Words were hard to find, she was so happy. "I don't know how I would have made it, without your help." The green-haired man raised an hand and shook his head.

"Don't mention it, Levy, the pleasure was all mine."

_"__**Oh, really?**__"_

While, at first, Levy's heart had skipped a beat at the sudden _vocal intrusion_, her brain had quickly recognized the owner of the voice and excitement was now responsible for her speeding heart rate. Twisting her body to look behind her, she unsurprisingly had to raise her gaze far over her head to meet a pair of blood-red eyes, half-covered by studded eyebrows belonging to a tall black-haired man with arms crossed over his broad chest and lips drawn into a sour line. It was useless to say that she was, by now, more than used to that man's grumpy face and felt nothing less than happiness, at his sight.

"Hi, Gazille," she greeted him cheerfully, her lips spreading into a huge smile, "how did your training go?"

The man barely answered with a grunt, shifting his gaze from her to the rune mage sitting at her side. Levy didn't mind his primitive reply and immediately picked up her completed magic sticker to show him what she had done.

"Look at what I've just made", she almost squealed, "it's a painkilling patch that will automatically heal minor injuries and soothe away a moderate level of pain. Thanks to it, I'll have a good night of sleep, tonight. Isn't it cool?"

"Yeah... pretty cool," replied Gazille, with as much enthusiasm as a chunk of coal, while his eyes fell, once again, on Freed. The young woman, guessing that the Dragon Slayer was curious about the reason why the Raijinshu captain was sitting at her side, started explaining his role in her achievement.

"Freed here helped me fragment my sequence into smaller parts and layer them back into place, because my sequence was originally too big for my sticker," she said with a grateful smile aimed at the man in question. "It would be pretty accurate to say that he saved me from a lot of trouble and even from potential injuries."

Freed smiled back at her, looking almost embarrassed to be the subject of her praises. That made the bluenette's smile grow even wider, as it was a funny reminder of her own embarrassment, earlier, when she had been the one receiving his compliments. However, the rune mage didn't seem to be interested in taking part in the conversation, because he suddenly cleared his throat and raised from his seat.

"Well," he started, while straightening his jacket, "I believe you no longer need me here, so I'll take my leave." He bowed his head respectfully as he added, "I hope you'll be satisfied with the results of your work." Levy, though she was surprised by the man sudden hurry, stood on her feet and mimicked his gesture.

"Yes, I hope so too," she bowed back. "Thank you, again, for your precious help."

"You're much welcome," Freed replied with a weak smile, before turning on his heels and swiftly walking away. As she watched his retreating back, Levy couldn't help wondering why the scholar's departure had seemed so _rushed_: though it was true that she had never really hung out with him, before, it had never appeared to her that he could be a shy person. After all, he had been the one approaching her, earlier, to see what she had been working on.

"Hmm... I wonder if everything is alright with Freed?" she asked out loud, wondering if Gazille had also noticed the man's strange behavior, but the iron mage only shrugged.

"_Tch_, how would I know?"

* * *

><p>When Gazille had left his bed, this morning, he hadn't planned for much, beside a shower, a good breakfast and a training session with Pantherlily.<p>

The first had gone fine, but the second had been slightly more challenging, thanks to the company of a certain bluenette too distracting for his taste; because of her visit, the previous day, she had ended up being the main actress of most of his dreams, keeping him tossing and turning for a good part of the night. Her mere presence, this morning, had reminded him too much of those dreams and it was why he had wolfed down his food like an ogre and almost yanked Lily out of his fur, by taking him along to train.

Three hours of intense training later had left the man drained, both mentally and physically, to the point he couldn't think of anything more complex than putting one feet in front of the other to follow Lily back home. He was in such a relaxing daze that it wasn't until he recognized the familiar scent of the building he had just stepped in that he realized his partner had, instead, brought him back to the guild.

"I'll be right back, Mirajane has something for me," explained Lily before popping his wings and flying to the bar and, then, to the kitchen, following Kinana's indications to find the waitress; any complaints Gazille could have wished to express didn't have time to leave his mind and he was left by himself, a feet away from the steps leading to the restaurant section. After a few seconds of useless starring, the iron mage let out an annoyed groan, found his way to the nearest pillar, leaned his body against it and crossed his arms over his chest. A few guildmates around had noticed him, but he answered their curious stares with his bored one, which was the conception of normality, whenever he and anyone else were involved, and he was quickly left alone.

The chatters all around him were making him sleepy and it seemed like an eternity had already passed, since Lily's departure; Gazille was fighting the need to close his eyes, yet he didn't want to raise his gaze to the crowd in front of him too much... in case the reason he had left in a hurry, this morning, was still there, waiting for him.

_Ah, Shit._ Now that he had thought of her, curiosity was rapidly getting the best of him. Despite his best wishes, his guts churned in excitement, while a microscopic voice of protestation tried to stop him, but it was too late: his senses were on the alert for the tiniest particle of her scent floating in the air, the jingling tone of her voice or, of course, the unmistakable shade of blue of her hair, that he half-heartedly tried to not look for, but in vain. He spotted her like a lighthouse in the night: she was sitting at one of the remote tables at the left of the hall, her hair pulled in a ponytail that exposed the delicate curves of her neck, white as cream and looking more delicious than the purest iron ore. She was seemingly writing something with her magic pen; a touch of vibrant red poking from over her cute ears betrayed the presence of her reading glasses, the ones he had fixed for her. Sitting with her back to him, she was completely oblivious to his presence and he couldn't really decide if it was a good thing or not.

Maybe it would be best, if he made his exit now, before she somehow sensed his eyes on her and turned around. But she seemed to be completely immersed in whatever she was doing; the chances she guessed he was there were obviously slim. It was common knowledge that, when she had her nose in a book or in her scripts, she always lost contact with reality.

On the other hand, staying here and staring at her wouldn't be helpful: his goal was to get over the silly feelings he felt for her and, though he was still exhausted from his training session, the _dark side of his brain_ could take over him, if he kept pushing his luck.

He managed to tear off his gaze from her to look in the direction of the kitchen; his partner was nowhere in sight and his first thought about it was that he was purposely delaying his return to annoy him. Thought, in all honestly, he didn't really believe so: last time they had talked about it, his best friend had promised him he wouldn't meddle in his love affairs anymore and he knew his cat always held his promises. It was probably the barmaid, who was keeping him busy with gossips.

Whatever. Gossips or not, Gazille had grown tired of standing there like a fence post; if it wasn't for the fact that it would be cheap to leave his best friend behind without a word, he'd already be on his way home. He decided to give the exceed sixty more seconds to come back and he soon started counting in his head, not as much for accuracy as for the need to give himself a clear conscience for what he was about to do.

_One... two... three... four..._

The guild wasn't as noisy as usual, he noticed. Salamander not being here was probably the reason.

_Nine... ten... eleven... twelve... thirteen..._

The Dragon Slayer shifted his stance against the pillar and purposely faced toward a different direction. He hadn't looked back at _her_, yet, and, being so close to leaving, he supposed it would be best if he didn't.

_Twenty-three... twenty-four... twenty-fi-_

However, at that moment, he heard someone say her name. He didn't quite get what that person was saying, but that it was DEFINITIVELY a male voice.

* * *

><p>His reaction was instantaneous: his body jerked under a violent spasm, his muscles contracted themselves, his neck cracked at the sudden contortion of his head twisting toward Levy's table, while his breath caught in his lungs and his eyes widened in fury. He quickly spotted the owner of the voice; arrogantly sitting at her side, as if there was nothing wrong with that, was<em> Freed Justine<em>: Laxus' lapdog and a poor excuse of a pea-dyed, conniving bastard!

Gazille couldn't believe his eyes. When did that _leech _come sit beside HIS Munchkin? How come he hadn't noticed him, before? Has someone been standing in his line of vision and hiding him from view, from the start? But, more importantly, WHAT exactly was he doing, there? JUST WHO GAVE HIM THE RIGHT TO LOOK AT HER LIKE THAT, HUH?!

And that smile. THAT MOTHERFUCKING SMILE that just asked to be punched, over and over and over again. He vowed, here and now, that he wouldn't know peace, until he had plucked out every single tooth from that motherfucker's mouth and nailed them all in his pretentious ass or, _better yet_, in those flirty lil' eyes of his! And then, he would nail him to a wall, _by the balls_, and tear off his limbs, ONE BY ONE, until nothing was left of him!

Gazille felt a jolt of power crawling under the skin of his forearms: plumes of black smoke were about to swirl out of his skin and make him go into _Iron Shadow Mode_. He forced himself to extinguish them; as tempting as it was, the man knew better than to let himself go to his fantasies of carnage...

They were indoors, after all.

In the middle of his inner rampage, he suddenly heard the script mage and focused his gaze on her: she was cheering about something unknown to him, bouncing on her seat in excitement, before she turned to her right to give one of her most beautiful smiles to that son of a bitch, who DEFINITIVELY didn't deserve it. Actually, no one else than him did.

_"Thank you so much, Freed,"_ Gazille heard her say,_ "I... I don't know how I would have made it, without your help."_

The scholar was raising a hand to answer, another one of his perverse smile growing on his lips. That was more than enough! Gazille was already making his way over them, clearly decided to stop that shit, right now; all ideas of keeping his distance with the bluenette had vanished from his mind. He crossed the distance between them in less than three seconds, clearly hearing the _living asparagus_' reply.

_"Don't mention it, Levy, the __**pleasure**__ was all mine."_

Oh, someone would get all the **pleasure**, here, but it sure wasn't going to be that faggot. Crossing his arms over his chest, the iron mage made sure his interruption was loud and clear, dripping with an amount of animosity equal to his rage.

**"Oh, really?"**

It worked. Like a teenager caught red-handed, the idiot gave a start at the sudden intervention and immediately looked up at him, a white face and eyes and mouth wide open in shock. Since Gazille knew Levy would also look up at him, Gazille met her gaze with his annoyed one, barely trying to hide the _displeasure_ he felt at the other one's presence.

"Hi, Gazille," she greeted him cheerfully, her lips spreading into a huge smile, "how did your training go?"

The words he felt like saying, at the moment, were far from being suitable for her ears, so he only let out a _Hmph, _switching his blood-red eyes on the cockroach at her right, who quickly avoided his gaze. The Dragon Slayer could smell him starting to sweat under his coat and he silently promised him that it was only the beginning. He'd show him who was the alpha, here.

The Munchkin was seemingly blind to all the hate he was gratuitously unloading on the rune mage; she picked up a purple-glowing piece of paper and showed it to him.

"Look at what I've just made", she almost squealed, obviously excited and proud, "it's a painkilling patch that will automatically heal minor injuries and soothe away a moderate level of pain. Thanks to it, I'll have a good night of sleep, tonight. Isn't it cool?"

"Yeah... pretty cool," he answered, thought he should admit to not have really listened to her rambling. His attention was elsewhere and, if it wasn't politically correct for him to kill a guild mate, he would do the next best thing and make him piss his pants, for trespassing his property.

This time, Levy seemed to notice his... _interest_ toward the rune mage and started explaining that he had helped her do something about that patch; he didn't get the whole _'fragments'_, _'sequence'_ and _'layers'_ thing she was talking about, but it seemed to be very important, because she then turned to the motherfucker, gave him another one of her smiles and claimed that he had SAVED her from potential injuries.

Saved her. _Yeah, riiight. _If someone had ever saved her from harm, here, it was obviously himself and _more than once_, not like that pretentious little slime, over here. It was hard to imagine, even for himself that was currently experiencing it, but he was hating him even more, now.

He shot him another glare, mentally promising him twice as much pain as he had already done, in the past two minutes. It seemed to do the trick: _Mr. Shitface_ jumped on his feet (while staying out of arm length, that wuss), straightened his coat and bowed his head at the bluenette, stating that he was no longer needed here. In less than a second, he had turned on his heels and vanished in the crowd, probably gone seeking refuge far, far, far away from him. Gazille had to fight the urge to chase after him, just for the thrill.

His beloved Munchkin tilted her head to the right, a clueless pout on her lips.

"Hmm... I wonder if everything is alright with Freed?" She looked up at the iron mage, expecting an answer, or, at best, a wild guess of the Raijinshu captain's attitude. Gazille felt the corner of his mouth rise into a smirk but he held it back. Smirking would make her ask what was so funny and he couldn't admit the truth to her. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

So he simply shrugged, pretending to not know nor to care. The knowing smile she gave him, then, was enough to get him back in a good mood.

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> So? Was it worth the wait? This time I'm not gonna jinx it and I will not say anything about the next update. And... if you are still mad at me, well... *bends over and presents her butt* go ahead.


	19. Playing dumb

**Author's notes: **Still don't own it. Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**#19 Playing dumb**

_First thing Levy noticed, when she slowly came back to her senses, was how warm she was... as if wrapped up in a big, heavy blanket. She would have tried to open her eyes to see exactly where she was, but she was still numb with sleep and felt so comfortable, right now, that the mere idea of officially waking up didn't appeal to her at all. She allowed her consciousness to fade again, a little smile on her lips._

_It felt so good..._

_A moment had probably passed, when she surfaced from slumber again. A very distant sound reached her ears; it was high-pitched yet melodious and she eventually recognized it as singing birds. That indicated her that it was daytime, but her laziness and obstinacy at staying asleep, for as long as possible, encouraged her to keep her eyes closed._

_Her bed was perfectly warm... and comfy... and good-smelling... _

_She inhaled the pleasant scent without shame, pushing little contented sigh every now and then. It smelled of paper and ink, of soap... of something fresh, like clothes that had spent a whole day on a clothesline... but there was also a hint of sweat hidden in it, salty and musky, that she found strangely appealing... _

_A smile bloomed on her lips, when she noticed that it also smelled like him..._

* * *

><p>"Well, well, well... if it isn't our favorite lovebird?"<p>

Levy smiled in response to Cana's playful greeting, as she entered Fairy Hills's common room: a modest yet cozy lounge situated on the main floor of the dormitory. It was furnished with two sofas, large enough to seat at least four people, a few chairs and a round coffee table in the middle; most of the seats were taken by Levy's friends, including Lucy, who immediately scooted over on the sofa to let the bluenette sit between her and Wendy, with Charle sitting on the sky mage's laps.

After a quick distribution of sweets and a serving of tea for everyone, the girls started chatting about pretty much anything. Mirajane and Lisanna were currently announcing their plan for the surprise birthday party for Elfman.

"Tomorrow, I'll take him with me for a job in Hargeon Town, a job Mira-nee saved especially for this occasion," said Lisanna with a crooked smile directed at her sister. The white-haired barmaid pursued explaining.

"If everything goes right, they should be gone long enough for me to prepare everything. However, with all the things I'll have to do, I'm not sure I'll have time to take care of logging job requests; Master Makarov said he could take down the fliers, if needed, but..." Mirajane didn't finish her sentence, sounding guilty of not being able to accomplish her usual job on top of the extra work for the party. Erza quickly reassured her.

"Don't worry, Mira, we'll help you out; won't we?" she asked the others in the room, who all agreed.

"Few guildies go on a job, the same day there's a party, in the guild, anyway," Cana added with a smirk, from her sprawled position on one of the chairs, "especially if there's free food and beer."

"And it's only going to be for one day," said Lisanna, "I can't really imagine someone complaining... except maybe Gazille."

Levy chuckled under her breath: that sounded accurate enough. She could already imagine him growling and cursing the barmaid and Lily would eventually tell him to stop complaining. But, then again, Gazille never said no to free food, so maybe he wasn't going to mind. As far as she knew, he hadn't gone on any jobs, in the past days; not since that morning he had gone training with Lily.

"Say, Levy-san," Juvia interrupted her thoughts, giving her one of her kind yet enigmatic smile, "speaking of Gazille-kun: are things going well, between you two?"

Everyone's attention suddenly shifted from Mirajane to the bluenette, including said barmaid who started staring at her with a growing smile. Levy felt her face warm up.

"Uh, yes, t-things are fine," she spluttered, before taking a little sip of her tea, feeling inexplicably nervous talking about Gazille. She couldn't think of any valuable reason for her edginess, yet, her heart was now beating fast and she could feel her hand shaking slightly, when she lowered her cup back on the saucer.

"Are you sure, Levy? You're all red." asked Cana with a devious grin, "Could something_ interesting_ have happened with Ironboy?" The bluenette felt her heart skip, but not in a good way.

"What?" she blurted, before she could help herself, then she tried to make up an excuse. "No, my... my tea is just too hot, that's all."

Her audience giggled at her words and she knew that she hadn't fooled anyone; heck: she wouldn't even have fooled herself. She stretched to place her saucer and tea cup on the coffee table, concentrating on not showing pain, when she moved forward (her patches worked perfectly, but she was keeping them for sleeping, which was why she wasn't wearing one, at the moment), vainly hoping her friends were just going to drop the subject and give her some slack. Useless to say that it didn't happen.

"Are you _suuure_ it's because of your tea?" Mirajane drawled teasingly, a loopy smile on her lips, as she stared at the script mage with obvious hopes of hearing _juicy_ gossips, but less than two seconds after, she shifted her gaze on the person at Levy's left, "Ah, but _Lucy_ seems to know something; maybe she could enlighten us?"

The bluenette gulped, glancing at her best friend, who was sporting a knowing smile; it didn't take a genius to know what the blond mage was going to say next. However, despite her initial intentions, Levy was now reticent of telling her friends about her piercing; she had the feeling Mirajane was going to jump to the weirdest conclusion...

"_Weeell_," Lucy started, "I know that Gazille gave her something _very_ special for her birthday..." She marked a short pause, probably waiting for her best friend to reveal her secret, but the latter was too busy blushing and anticipating the worst from the barmaid, so Lucy pointed at the bluenette's belly to give their audience a hint...

After a whole two seconds of complete silence, Erza gave a start, her eyes bulging bigger than saucer plates.

"HOLY MAVIS, LEVY, YOU'RE PREGNANT?!"

* * *

><p>There was only a one second laps, before chaos ensued.<p>

"WHAT?! Levy, are you SERIOUS?" asked in one voice both Lisanna and Bisca, eyeing the bluenette as if she had just admitted being a _Yakuza_. At their side, Mirajane was crying of joy.

"THIS IS SO WONDERFUL! A BABY! A MINI-LEVY-AND-GAZILLE!"

"For real?" Wendy eyed the woman at her side with surprise, while the white exceed frowned in disapproval.

"Hopefully not..."

Cana was eyeing the petite woman in silence, with a grin that looked half-doubting, half-amused, and the water mage had cupped her face in her hands, blushing fiercely.

"G-Gazille-kun and Levy-san... already at _that_ level..."

"It... It must h-have been t-true love's magic," babbled a red-faced Erza, "for it to happen this fast, surely this is a sign..."

"YES! It's the _proof_ they are really MADE for each other!" squealed the white-haired barmaid, "and I knew it all along! I knew it! I KNEW IT!"

"NO! Guys, please!" begged Lucy, who felt responsible for the mess and was trying to fix things up, "you got it wrong: Levy is not pregnant!"

Though Mirajane was still too busy dancing and chanting that she had known all along, the stellar mage's words caught most of the other females interest; their reactions varied between stupefaction, confusion and relief. All their gazes landed on Levy, who was sitting there, still as a statue and even redder than she had been, mere seconds ago. Her face was literally steaming, while her mind was making up disturbingly realistic images of the iron Dragon Slayer and herself in the process of making a baby...

"Is it true, Levy-san?" Wendy asked the bluenette, who barely recognized her name being said. All she could feel was her body burning like fire and her chest hurting because her heart was apparently trying to punch its way out of her ribcage. When the small wind mage said her name a second time, the bluenette blinked and miraculously found the strength to pull herself out of her state of shock and answer, even if only in a whisper.

"No, I'm... I'm not pregnant."

The silence that had followed the sky Dragon Slayer's question had forced Mirajane to hear Levy's answer; the woman froze with her arms in the air, as if someone had threw her a _Stop_ spell, her mouth slowly falling open in shock and disappointment. In the split second that followed, everyone else reacted to the news (again), but it all sounded muffled to the script mage's ears.

"So, there really is no baby?" Juvia asked, to which Lucy replied in a heartbeat.

"Of course not!"

"How sad," commented a disappointed Wendy, inevitably followed by Charle.

"Come on, it couldn't have been..."

"Thank you, Mavis," said Bisca, looking nothing less than relieved, "I was freaking out, for a minute, there."

"Me too," Lisanna added, shaking her head. "It was just too crazy to be true."

Mirajane had slowly started to lower her arms back at her side, looking like the perfect picture of the word _Deceived_. She mumbled under her breath that she had wanted it to be true, to which Cana answered nicely.

"They've only been dating for three weeks, Mira," the drunk mage replied, "it'd have been too soon."

"It still could have happened..." Mirajane insisted weakly; her young sister gave her a small hug to console her.

"I personally think it's okay that she's not already pregnant," Bisca said again, with a glance at Levy, who face-palmed herself and started blushing again. The way they were talking, it was as if **she** had been the one who had spread the rumor of her pregnancy!

"Levy-san would have made a good mom, though," Wendy pipped in with a smile, inadvertently adding salt to the wound.

"Gazille-kun would be a good daddy, too," Juvia added with pride. "He would protect his family, at all cost."

"Yeah," snickered Cana, "but can you imagine him changing diapers?"

The brunette's comment made everyone smile and chuckle, except Levy, who was currently trying (and failing) to push away the disturbing thoughts assaulting her mind. It was taking her all of her willpower to not slap her hands over her ears and scream at the top of her lungs.

"Okay, how about... we change the subject?" she eventually asked them in a small voice, her skin glowing a shade of red so deep, it now looked purple. Unfortunately, Mirajane, who had recovered from her earlier disappointment, was now eyeing her with a glint of mischief in her eyes, clearly making her understand that the torture session wasn't over yet.

"Now, now, not so fast, young lady," the barmaid scorned her, smirking like a shark, "you still didn't tell us what birthday gift you received from Mr. Redfox. After making me expect a baby, I think I deserve to know."

"Yeah," Cana grinned, "what did Ironboy give you? What _exactly_ is hidden under that shirt?"

* * *

><p>When, an eternity later, Levy managed to escape to her room by pretending to be dead tired, she experienced the deepest relief, the moment she heard the lock of her door click between her and the rest of the world. Leaning her back against the wooden barrier, she stayed still for a moment that felt too long and too short at the same time, sensing the mere flicker of comfort being swallowed by stronger emotions, in the very next second.<p>

Her heart was pounding in her chest, so hard it hurt, while all of her body seemed to melt. It was suddenly difficult to stand and her head was spinning. Leaning on everything around her, she managed to wobble in direction of her bed, where she fell on the floor, on her butt, having missed the mattress by only an inch. There, sitting with her back against her bed, she pulled her knees high enough to prop her elbows on them (barely noticing the pain in her abdomen) and then buried her head in her hands to keep it from falling over, because she had the impression she could _really_ lose it, if she didn't hold it.

Though it might have already happened, for all she knew. _What, in Mavis's name, was happening to her?!_

Now, that was the one-billion Jewels question. What was wrong with her? Why was she suddenly so shaken? It made no sense: there was no reason for her to feel like the ground had crumbled under her feet and she was about to fall in some abysses. There was no reason for her heart to trash around like a wild beast; no meaning behind her short breath, moist palms or guts fluttering with butterflies! There was absolutely no reason for her to feel like this! None at all!

...None, except the sudden realization that she was in love with Gazille Redfox.

Levy threw her head backwards and starred at her ceiling with wide eyes. She couldn't believe she was really thinking what she was thinking; that she was really considering... being _attracted_ to him...

It was so crazy. Barely two hours earlier, the only thoughts the iron Dragon Slayer's name evoked to her had been about how much of a good friend he was to her, but, now, simply imagining his face was enough to unsettle her! Even behind closed eyelids, she could clearly see his angular facial features, enhanced with his famous studs that also shaped his unique eyebrows, his lips drawn into one of his heart-throbbing smirks and his alluring garnet-colored eyes that seemed to stab into her soul, whenever they looked her way.

A shiver crossed her spine and her cheeks started boiling again: she _REALLY_ was enamored with the iron mage!

And who's fault was it?! Mirajane, Erza and Cana: they were the ones, who ingrained this idea in her head, with their incessant teasing and crazy speculations. Her view of Gazille would have never changed, if they hadn't started sprouting nonsenses about him being a good candidate to start a family, or, _worse_, that the whole piercing deal had been nothing less than _territorial marking_...

No, she wasn't even kidding. Those were the exact words Cana had used, when Levy had shown her piercing to the group. She had revealed it without ceremony, hoping to calm her friends wild imagination as soon as possible to move on to the next subject, but she hadn't expected anyone to start analyzing the gift's meaning. Of course, the bluenette had mentioned that it had been a birthday gift, that Gazille had been testing her, to see if she would have the guts to do something really out of character for her and she had accepted to prove him that she was braver than he thought. However, the matter had sounded completely different to Cana.

_"Don't be fooled by his Tsundere talk,"_ she had told her with a knowing smirk, before pointing at the barbell, _"he marked you as HIS woman."_

Mark her as his woman... Really, when adding this to everything said before that and some _fangasming_ about Gazille being jealous of Freed, which was completely _ridiculous,_ who could blame her for freaking out? It was no wonder she had been unable to stand her friends teasing gazes, after that, and she hadn't wasted a second before escaping to her room. She had done her best to block all images and thoughts of a non-platonic relationship with Gazille... but it hadn't taken more than a few seconds, for her to realize it was already too late. Her mind had already been contaminated with the idea that he _wasn't_ just a friend to her.

An idea that sounded wonderful yet horrifying.

At this point, a part of her was still asking itself why she hadn't noticed her feeling for him, before today. After all, true love wasn't the kind of thing that happened overnight, right? Though all the knowledge she had gained about that concept came from romance novels, she supposed than a smart girl like her would still have noticed something, before today, right? If she was that smart, she should have seen it coming from miles away, right?

...But did she_ really_ not see it coming?

Truth was: saying no would be a lie. She had more than once felt her heart skip a beat, when his eyes would fall in hers; she had long stopped counting how many times he had made her blush, had it been on purpose or not. She could recall wondering, on some occasions, if his heart was also racing, when they kissed in front of the others, or if he, too, sometime imagined what it would be like, if they weren't pretending. How many times had she heard a little voice in her head confronting her, whenever those kind of thoughts crossed her mind? How many times had she argued with her conscience, denying feeling anything else than admiration and friendship for the man, though she had _known_ her relationship with him was far from being comparable to the ones she had with Jet and Droy, or even Lucy...

She _had_ noticed the signs... but she had purposely turned a blind eye on them. All this time, she had played dumb, because it had been easier to pretend the _thing_ she felt for him wasn't real, that it was just her imagination, that it was pointless, anyway, because Gazille wouldn't possibly prefer her to any other women, out there. Even if he had sometime scolded her for thinking this way, she wasn't foolish enough to believe she had what it took to impress him; small complexion and weak magic could never be enough, for a man like him. He probably considered her like a nakama, like a _friend_ even, but surely nothing more meaningful than that. She was very lucky to have earned his friendship and shouldn't be complaining about not being able to get more.

That was why she wasn't going to tell him about her feelings. She wasn't going to risk losing what she currently had with him, by admitting the truth. She wouldn't be able to bear being rejected by him, even if he did it in the nicest way possible.

She was going to keep playing dumb, instead.

* * *

><p><strong>End notes: <strong>The end is coming.


	20. Suspicions

**Author's notes:** Still don't own it. Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**#20: Suspicions**

_The more time passed, the more she was becoming aware of her surrounding. The chirping birds sounded joyful, outside, the air was warm around her, though she could feel that her mid-section was warmer. Something was draped over it, heavy enough to hold her firmly laying on her right side._

_With her eyes still closed, she shifted her body, so she could move her arm from under her head, where it had been acting as a pillow; it felt stiff, as it had stayed in that position for too long. At the same time, she stretched her legs and they rubbed against an obstacle that she quickly recognized as another pair of legs, long and muscular. The weight on her waist moved slightly and she supposed that it was an arm, if the hand at its extremity, lazily racking its fingers against her back, was any indication._

_A soft hum escaped her from behind a little smile. The events of her previous night were slowly coming back to her..._

* * *

><p>The first thing Gazille noticed, when he came in the guild hall, that morning, wasn't the air of excitement hovering in the building. It wasn't the many banners, paper lanterns and other decorations hanging from every tables and pillars around. It wasn't the big chair covered in red velvet sitting in the middle of the room, nor the humongous table buried under dozens of plates of treats, candies and drinks; it wasn't the many barrels of beers near the bar nor the delicious scent of a baking cake floating around, neither.<p>

In fact, what he noticed was something that _wasn't_ there... That _something_ was barely five feet tall, with wavy, sky-blue hair usually held in a bandanna and the most gorgeous smile he had ever witnessed.

Every morning, around this time, he would walk in the guild hall and, every morning, Levy would be sitting at the bar or at one table close-by, with a cup of coffee and a book. Every morning, she would be waiting for him so they could eat breakfast together and, though she hadn't asked for it in a long while, he would, more often than not, fetch breakfast for her, which would always earn him a brilliant smile and a little _Iron_ treat to complement his eggs and bacon.

But there was no traces of the script mage, this morning. He spotted her teammates nearby, who were moving chairs and benches around, and asked them about the bluenette's whereabouts.

"Levy-chan?" Droy answered his question first, "No, haven't seen her since yesterday."

"I thought she was already with you," added Jet with a raised eyebrow. "Did you guys fight again?"

Gazille frowned, brushing off the question with a shrug, before he started walking toward the bar, thinking that, perhaps, the barmaid had seen the small woman. However, it seemed impossible to get a hold of the white-haired woman and the only person who wasn't busy running everywhere, as if expecting the king of Fiore to pop in the place, was Cana, who was sitting on the bar with a beer barrel under one arm and a goofy smile on her lips. She was giving him a smug, knowing look, as she watched him make his way to her.

"Heeyy, if it ain't our fav'rite _Loverboy,_" she greeted him, grinning like a shark. The Dragon Slayer ignored the nickname and went straight to the point.

"Have you seen Levy?"

"Hmm, did I?" drawled the woman with an exaggerated wondering expression, her lower lip pulled in a pout. It didn't take a genius to understand that she had already started drinking. "Nnyyeah, I did... Yest'rday."

"What about today?"

"Uhm, today..." she wondered aloud again. Gazille felt his mood turning sour: he could already tell that he wasn't going to have enough patience to deal with her drunk humor. Per chance, she seemed to get her mind together, when she shook her head. "Nope. Nope, din' see her. She' prob'bly still in her room."

The iron mage hummed absentmindedly, as he turned on his heels, intending to travel to the dormitory to find the bluenette; however, he was stopped in his tracks by Cana's next question.

"Ya really got it bad for her, don'cha?"

It was so unexpected that the man straightened in surprise, for half a second, before facing the brunette again. She had propped one elbow on the barrel, holding her head up with it and starring at him with what would be a superior look, if she wasn't swaying slightly. Gazille frowned.

"What the..."

"You can think dat you're foolin' us... but ya ain't foolin' _me_," she answered smugly, waving a theatrical finger at him, "I saw through your lil' plan, misterr. We all did."

"What plan you're talkin' about?" he hesitantly replied, not sure to understand the subject of their conversation, nor sure _if_ he wanted to understand it.

"You made her yours, that's what!" the woman nothing less than shouted, before grinning like the Chessire cat. "You freaking branded her as your woman, you sneaky bastard..."

At this point, Gazille was completely lost. He could suppose that "her" was referring to Levy, but... branded her as his woman? Made her his? What was that supposed to mean?

"Dunno where you get your ideas, _Boozechick_," he carefully told her, while taking a step back to make his exit, "but it sounds like you're already due for coffee."

She chuckled.

"It's 'cause of Freed, ain't it?"

It had been a question, but it had sounded like a statement and it successfully stopped Gazille in his tracks. Hearing that green-haired bastard's name had piqued his curiosity.

"What of him?" he asked her, a guarded expression on his face. It hadn't even been a week, since his last _interaction_ with the rune mage and, though he hadn't seen him lurking around the Munchkin, since then...

"You pierced her belly 'cause you're scared of him," smirked Cana, her words striking the man right in the ego; he didn't lose a second to angrily retort.

"I ain't scared of that asshole."

"Ya're scared that he might like Levy," the brunette insisted, taking obvious pleasure in the effects her words were having on the iron mage, "you got jealous as shit when he spoke to her and that's why you decided to_ mark your territory_. Man, you're freaking intense, you know that? Lucky for your girlfriend that you're not into tattoos."

The horrible accuracy yet absolute absurdity of her statement silenced him for a whole second, before the pieces of the puzzle started assembling themselves in his head. He now understood why Levy hadn't showed up this morning and the reason was angering him. He threw a cold glare at the drunk mage, dropping his voice to a venomous whisper.

"You _bitches_ better not have fucked with her, or you'll regret it."

Cana immediately lost her teasing smirk, his threat making her sober up faster than an ice-cold shower.

"_Oi, oi_, relax," she retorted, sitting up straighter on the bar to counter his intimidating glare, "it was just a joke, okay? We were just kidding and she knew it; don't need to get pissed..."

But Gazille was pissed, now, and worried. If Levy had believed a single word of what those idiots had said, it was highly possible that she had made some deductions, which wouldn't be surprising, considering how observant and smart she was. There hadn't been any hidden meaning, behind the piercing, back then, but only _suspecting_ he could have had one could be enough to make her start doubting him. And how he had reacted, when he had caught Freed Justine sitting at her side, would do nothing to erase her suspicions. She hadn't said anything about it, since then, but perhaps she was now seeing that scene differently. Perhaps she had figured out the truth and perhaps it was why she hadn't shown up at the guild. Because she obviously didn't feel the same way about him and was embarrassed to face him, knowing that.

He was hopefully wrong about this. Never had he ever wished so strongly to be wrong about something.

Because he had no idea what he would do, if he happened to be right.

* * *

><p>His feet led him up the slope of the dormitory, his heart aching in reticence, but also burning with unexpected bravery. A part of him wanted to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible, because the wait and speculations would drive him crazy, but the other part was screaming at him to just turn the fuck around, as only deception could possibly await him.<p>

The building stood tall and bright in front of him, the blue sky and warm weather making the scene look like a picture. Most windows were open to let the fresh air in, but no sounds came from the inside, which wasn't very surprising, considering the time of the day. Stopping halfway between the arch spelling _Fairy Hills_ and the porch, Gazille observed the closed doors and started thinking about what to do, next.

_Looks like you wasted your time coming here_, said a nagging voice in his head, _you can't even get inside._

The iron mage grimaced; he was, indeed, stuck there, for now. The idea of going around the dormitory to find the window of her room crossed his mind, but he quickly rejected it. What good would it give him? He wasn't going to scream at her from under her window: it would be embarrassing, the other residents could hear him and he wasn't sure to have the right to go this close to the dormitory, anyway... and he was obviously not in the mood to be kicked out, like last time, neither. He supposed he could simply stand there and wait for her to come out, however, if what he dreaded was true, she could refuse to leave the dormitory, as long as he would be there, because she was the type to avoid confrontation, if she could help it.

Ignoring the mocking voice in his head, Gazille pushed a frustrated sigh and resigned himself to give up on seeing her, for now. He was about to take the first step back, when the sound of the opening doors caught his attention. A small, blue-haired fairy came out, her light steps bouncing on the stone porch. She quickly noticed him, her eyes illuminating themselves, before she made her way to him.

"Ah, good morning, Gazille-san," Wendy greeted him with her usual cheerfulness. Behind her, Charle was closing the dormitory door.

"Hi," the man flatly replied, half-relieved, half-disappointed to see her: he had obviously hoped for the _other_ small bluenette.

"You're here to see Levy," the white exceed stated more than asked, as she joined them, one curious eyebrow raised.

"She didn't come out of her room, yet," said the sky Dragon Slayer, her hands clasped behind her back. "She told us she would join us later..." Gazille frowned at that: it didn't bode well for him. The small fairy eyed him strangely, her smile growing. "Levy-san showed us the gift you made for her," she commented, after a short pause, "it was quite nice."

"_Unexpected_," Charle added with a small huff, "but interesting, I must admit."

"All the others were pretty excited about it," giggled Wendy.

"Yeah," the iron mage scowled," I heard about the... _territorial theories _they made up for it..."

The small fairy snorted and waved a dismissing hand.

"Cana-san and Mirajane-san were trying to convince Levy-san that it was a _Dragon Slayer_ thing," she chuckled, obviously finding it funny and ridiculous. "She said she didn't believe them, but she was blushing a lot and went to bed early, after that."

"Surely to escape their silliness," the white cat shrugged. "I swear they don't have limits, when it comes to gossiping, especially that Mirajane."

"You don't say..." muttered the man under his breath, though he made the mental note to rank _Girlie's_ cat higher on his list of people he didn't hate. He glanced at the dormitory, thinking about the only female on his list of those he loved and how he could possibly see her. Right as he thought of that, Wendy spoke up, as if she had heard his plea.

"Would you like to go see her?"

Gazille eyed the girl with mild surprise, mainly because the idea of asking her for help hadn't crossed his mind at all. "I can give you a pass," she added, already searching in her little bag for the item.

"Wendy," Charle scolded her, crossing her paws over her chest, "you're not supposed to invite men in the dormitory, if they're not _your_ guests."

"But it's Gazille-san," the sky mage insisted with a smile thrown at her iron counterpart, "and I'm sure Levy-san will be very happy to see him. Here, lend me your arm." Gazille obeyed without a word, watching the little fairy stick a bright yellow, three-inch long piece of paper, with the word **PASS **written on it, on his right forearm, then take a step back and gesture toward the building.

"Here you go. Second floor, third door to the right. It's a one-entrance only pass: if you leave, you won't be able to come back in." The man already knew all that, but he didn't mention it to the little fairy, giving her one of his rare smile, instead.

"Thanks, kiddo."

He got a kind smile in return, that somehow gave him hope about what was to come.

* * *

><p>He made his way to her door in no time. He stood there in silence for a moment, straining his ears to pick up sounds coming from inside her room, but he got nothing. Before his paranoid side started imagining the worst, he recalled having heard Levy say that she had a <em>Soundproof<em> script she could put up, when she wanted privacy. He supposed that it could be what was preventing him to hear her. He could feel his stomach churn in anticipation and dread, while he stared at the door separating him from her. Once again, the voice in his head screamed at him to leave, before it was too late, but he ignored it; he didn't want to turn back, after making it this far, because he knew he could possibly not have the guts to try again.

Taking one big breath by the nose to summon up his courage, he raised an hand to knock at her door, but he stopped it only a millimeter away; he cursed himself for being a coward, then hit the surface three time with his knuckle, before he could change his mind again. To his surprise, her voice responded almost immediately from the other side.

_"Go to the guild without me, guys. I'll show up later, for the party."_

The iron mage felt the corner of his lips raise slightly; even muffled, her voice was as beautiful as ever. He announced himself without further delay.

"It's me."

He heard a soft thud in the room.

_"G-Gazille?"_

The question was followed by a little pause; Gazille could clearly hear her mentally asking w_hat the heck are you doing here?!_, as he shouldn't have been able to come in the dormitory, in the first place. He racked his brain to find something to explain his presence, without sounding accusing or creepy.

"Your breakfast has gone cold, now," he said, hoping it would prompt her to answer something.

_"Oh... uhm, yeah, that..."_ he heard her babble and mumble something else he didn't catch,_ "I'm... I'm sorry. I woke up with an awful headache and I don't feel very good, now..."_

"I see," the man simply replied, not sure if he bought her story or not. It sounded plausible enough, but, considering what he had learned so far... "I saw _Girlie_ on my way there; want me to go get her?"

_"Oh, no, no, don't bother,"_ she quickly refused, _"I already took some pills for that. I'll just take it easy, today, rest up a bit and I'll be back on my feet in no time. Really, don't mind me..."_

Her answer made the snarky voice in his head snicker; he did his best to ignore it.

"You'll be okay for the party?" he asked her, staring the door knob that he knew wouldn't be enough to keep him out, if he _really_ wanted to go in. A long pause followed his question and the silence was tempting him to just barge in and force her to meet his gaze, but he was aware that it would be a mistake; he couldn't bend her to his will, as if she was one of his metal trinkets. She was a person and he had to respect her desires, even if she apparently desired to not see him.

_"...Yes,_" she finally replied, to his relief. "_I will._"

"Okay." He smiled, glad for this small achievement. "I'll come pick you up at five, then."

Another silence followed, but it only lasted a few seconds.

_"...Great..."_

* * *

><p>His heavy footsteps faded in the hallway. From behind the third door, Levy was still under the shock, her legs shaking and her head spinning; her heart had literally <em>stopped,<em> when she had heard the voice of the iron Dragon Slayer coming from the other side, surprising her so much that she had almost thrown herself against one of her bookshelves. _What, in Mavis's name, had he been doing here?!_ How did he even come inside the dormitory by himself?! He normally shouldn't have been able to cross the man-proof enchantment; it was simply impossible for men to come inside without a pass and he wasn't an exception to the rules, if the events of his last visit proved anything.

Though, he had mentioned having seen Wendy on the way, so maybe she was the one who had let him in. It would make sense, as Levy couldn't picture anyone else than Wendy or Juvia who would grant him access. But, still... It shouldn't have happened at all. She should have been able to leisurely enjoy a whole day of procrastination without being interrupted. Especially by him!

After another minute spent listening to suspicious sounds in the hallway, the bluenette let out a long sigh, racking one hand in her messy hair. She really couldn't get a break, lately, couldn't she? In less than twenty-four hours, she had realized her feelings for the man she had been _pretending_ to be in love with (_yay, irony_), wasted her whole night tossing and turning in her bed, because she had suddenly recalled every single moments she had had with him, which had all showed hints of her growing attraction for him, though it hadn't been the worst part: her mind had also purposely twisted the scenes and gave them alternate endings that, more often than not, had led to thoughts and images worthy of Erza's favorite novels. Like _that_ certain scene, in _that_ certain cave, at _that_ certain beach... or, the day she had got her belly pierced; she was sure she would never be able to see Gazille's kitchen table as a simple piece of furniture, anymore.

She had done her best to control her wild imagination and concentrate on harmless train of thoughts, like food she hadn't eaten in a while, or that new thriller novel she hadn't read, yet. It had given relatively good results and she would have continued doing that, for the rest of the day... if she hadn't heard _his_ voice, from the other side of her door.

A good thing he didn't insist to come inside, because she wouldn't have known what to do.

Actually, she would have probably screamed. Or fainted. Or, maybe, that part of her that was craving for his touches and kisses would have taken over and assaulted him.

As if she didn't already have enough trouble like that! Thanks to her stupidity, it was now _certain_ that he was going to pop back here, in a few hours, and she wasn't going to be able to avoid him; she was going to _have_ to come out of her room, face him without melting into a puddle of goo, escort him to the guild, hand in hand, spend the evening at his side and even perhaps KISS him! But she wasn't prepared for that! She knew she wasn't going to have enough time to calm her nerves, to brace herself to face him again, in flesh and bones; just hearing his voice from the other side of her door had sent her heart in a frenzy and woke up the butterflies in her belly. She couldn't possibly spend a whole evening at his side, while being in such state: she would indubitably betray her secret! She had absolutely no poker face, everybody knew that!

Why didn't she say no, back then? If she had simply said she wouldn't be okay to go to the party, she wouldn't be in this damn situation! She wouldn't have ended up cornering herself! But, she had been sure it had been one of the girls knocking at her door, again; she had been so sure to be hidden at the most Gazille-proof place there ever existed, that the idea that he could find a way to her door had never crossed her mind. And, since she had carelessly said to whoever she had believed to be standing in the hallway that she _would _show up at the party, she couldn't have said she didn't want to go anymore. It would have been too suspicious... She supposed she could always tell him that she still had an headache, when he would show up again, but that option made her wince in guilt: lying would be mean and cheap, especially since, deep down, she was _thrilled_ at the idea of spending the evening at his side.

She didn't have a choice: she had to go to the party with him, tonight. She had no idea if her heart was going to stand it, but it would have to; it HAD to. It was too late to turn back, anyway...

* * *

><p><strong>End notes: <strong>Thank you all for your great reviews, the're my much needed inspirational boot up my rear :) One or two more chapters to wrap this up.


	21. Voice of Reason

**Author's notes: **Didn't want to update this chapter before being done with the next one but I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing. :)

Still don't own them.

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><p><strong>Let's Play Pretend<strong>

**#21: Voice of Reason**

_Funny how, sometime, things could take a turn for the unexpected. If someone had told her what the future held for her, that day, she wouldn't have believed them._

* * *

><p>At this point, Levy was certain that she was cursed.<p>

She couldn't think of any other explanation for all the hardships she was experiencing. It was as if someone, somewhere, had decided to mess with her life and purposely put spoke in her wheels. Why else would the only person she hadn't been ready to interact with show up at her very door, while it should have been impossible for him to do it? Why else wouldn't she have found a good excuse to avoid going to that party, in the first place? Why else would she now be arguing with herself, just to decide if she should, or _shouldn't,_ wear matching underwears...

It was so ridiculous. It wasn't like she intended to show them to anyone. It shouldn't bother her at all, if they didn't match, right?

After all, as long as they were clean, anything was fine, right?

_Right?_

With a frustrated groan, the bluenette dug in her drawer and grabbed her matching, dark gray panties and bra... b-but only because it was her only pair with removable bra's straps, okay? Not because she had any plan for anything happening, tonight. No, sir. No one would know that they matched, even though it didn't even matter, if they matched or not.

They just did. Period.

Anyway, she knew that choosing undergarments wasn't the hardest thing she had to do, today, because she still had to pick something to wear over them. Unfortunately, one look at the content of her wardrobe was making her lose all hope, before she even started. She had absolutely _nothing_ to wear!

Well, nothing suitable, to be precise. Though she didn't own as much clothes as Lu-chan did, Levy still had plenty of dresses and outfits and getting dressed had never really been an issue for her. If it had been a regular day, she knew that anything in there would have done the job; even for a party, she would have surely found something cute to wear. But that was exactly the problem: for the first time, cute wasn't going to be enough. She wanted something gorgeous, stunning, _sexy_ that would catch the eye of her favorite Dragon Slayer and leave him speechless! Making him unable to tear his gaze from her! Making him unable to think about anything else than her!

But there was also a little voice of reason ringing in her head, that was strongly warning her against it. Wearing something sexier than her usual style would surely make Gazille notice her, which was good, but could also make him wonder about the reasons of her choice and she would be quite embarrassed having to admit the truth to him. Overdoing it would amount to the same thing that sticking a giant sign on her forehead that spelled _"I LOVE YOU GAZILLE REDFOX!"_ in bright neon letters.

On the other hand, she couldn't go dressed up as if she was only grocery shopping, neither; all the other girls were going to be dolled up, all nice and sexy, and, if she didn't dressed up nice enough, she would end up being the plainier-looking one of the gang. Just imagining the iron mage giving these girls more attention than he'd give her... It was enough to lead her in the grip of the green-eyed monster, motivating her to do everything possible to outshine them all.

With a resigned sigh, Levy started searching among her clothes, _again_, growing more and more anxious at each dresses and outfits she discarded. She rejected pants, because she wanted to show her legs; she also eliminated everything she could remember to have already worn in Gazille's presence, like the aqua colored dress from their first date or the green pinafore one from their reconciliation. Wearing her yukata was also out of the question, even though she recalled how much he had liked it; she was pretty sure everyone else was going to be wearing normal party clothes.

Soon, there was more clothes piled up on her bed and at her feet than left in the wardrobe. The young woman racked both hands in her hair and pushed a long whiny groan.

"Aawrgh... I'll _never_ make it... Somebody help me."

She dropped her arms back at her side, her shoulders slouching in defeat; the very second after, a soft knock interrupted the silence.

_"Levy-san?"_ a young voice from the other side of the door followed. Levy had already recognized who it was.

"Yes, Wendy?" she asked in a tired voice, just loud enough to be heard.

_"I came to tell you that Gazille-san has just arrived."_

To say that the bluenette hadn't been expecting that would be accurate; her eyes bulged, her heart stopped and the violent start she gave stretched the sensitive muscles of her abdomen, in a very painful way.

"WHAT?! ALREADY?" she nothing less than screamed, instinctively putting a hand over her belly to soothe the pain, even if panic was pretty much overtaking all of her senses, now. "It's not already five o'clock, is it?!"

_"In about five minutes, it will, yes."_

Wendy's reply was like a death sentence: Levy felt her legs buckle for a fraction of a second, before she quickly regained her footing, throwing a panicked look at the wall clock over her desk that indicated that it was, indeed, almost five o'clock. How was that even possible: it hadn't even been two o'clock, five minutes ago!

_"Levy-san? Are you okay?"_

Noooo! She wasn't okay! What was she going to do?! Gazille was already here and she had barely managed to put some underwears on! She still had to find an outfit, find matching shoes, fix her hair and put make up. There was no way she was going to be ready, in less than five minutes! _Thanks Mavis_, she had had the presence of mind to shave her legs, the morning before; it was pretty much the only upside she could find about this _disastrous_ situation!

_"Levy-san?"_ Wendy asked again, apparently worried about a lack of response.

"Can you please make him wait? I-I'll be out in a minute!" Levy called out, while literally throwing herself in her wardrobe and drawers to find something to wear; she supposed the little Dragon Slayer agreed, because she didn't hear her voice, after that. Moving faster than Jet had ever been able to, she looked at each piece in front of the mirror, giving each of them barely a second or two before discarding them over her shoulder and picking up another. The imminent deadline wasn't helping her choose much better: her hands were trembling with adrenaline and a fine layer of sweat was covering her from head to toes.

She was digging through the remaining clothes in the wardrobe with both hands, wondering why love was making everything so _complicated_, when her hand fell on a plastic bag hidden behind a box of winter clothes. She frowned in confusion, when she took it out, as she couldn't remember to have put it there. She found inside a piece of clothing, black, soft and shinny, that, when she unfolded it, revealed itself to be a short cocktail dress decorated with a black ribbon under the bustline.

She then remembered: it was Lu-chan who had bought it for her, a bit before last Christmas, because she had claimed that it had fit her like a glove, when she had tried it on, at the blond mage's (incessant) request. But Levy hadn't wished to buy it; not because it wasn't pretty, it really was, but its style was a bit too... skimpy for her taste, the top being strapless and the puffy bottom barely covering her butt. Lucy wouldn't have blinked an eye wearing it, but the bluenette had been way to embarrassed to consider showing herself in it; however, in the end, Lu-chan had purchased it, forced her to accept it and Levy had thanked her, out of politeness, but, the moment she had made it home, she had put it away, with the intention to get rid of it, at the first occasion... which she had apparently forgotten to do.

A glance in the mirror, a thought about who was waiting for her, downstairs, and her overall situation were enough to convince her that _this_ was the sign from heaven she had been waiting for.

* * *

><p>The wait was killing him. In fact, it had been killing him, ever since this morning. Wendy's news that Levy was about to come out had been a very small consolation, especially since fifteen minutes had already passed, since then.<p>

"It's a girl thing," Cana commented, between two long sips of the bottle of wine she was having as an aperitif, before the party. "Better get used to it, Ironboy."

Gazille didn't retort anything, starring in front of him instead; he was leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a white shirt under a black suit, with matching black tie, pants and shoes. Wendy had let him in the dormitory, again, as it was more comfortable for him to wait in the lobby than outside, even though the weather was pleasant. The sky Dragon Slayer and her cat had been waiting for Cana to be ready, before leaving for the guild, but, then, the card mage had suggested they waited for Levy as well and left as a group. It had sounded like an excuse to peep on them, but, at this point, Gazille didn't really give a damn anymore.

He was far more preoccupied by how his evening with Levy would go... if it ever happened, in the first place.

Rushing footsteps coming from upstairs interrupted his thoughts. When he turned his head in the direction of the sound, his eyes took on the sight of a deliciously appealing pair of legs rushing down the stairs, followed by a short, strapless black dress, slim creamy arms and neck, with a pretty head on top of it, whose wavy blue hair was pulled in a simple yet elegant updo and ornated with a thin black ribbon instead of the usual bandanna.

While the young woman his brain eventually recognized as his Munchkin made her way to him, the man's train of thoughts was reduced to the very simple yet eloquent words: _Holy crap!_ She was gorgeous, just _fucking_ gorgeous... After having seen this, he would be very lucky, if he managed to find sleep, tonight.

"Well, look at dat..." said Cana mischievously, having taken advantage of his distraction to put one arm over his shoulder and snicker in his ear. "Ya better keep an eye on her, tonight, Redfox. Me got the feelin' dat she's going to be _very_ popular," she added with a wink, before taking another long gulp of wine.

Gazille frowned at the drunk woman's comment, that made him realize he, obviously, wasn't going to be the only male to see Levy like this and considering how he had reacted, when he had seen her talking to the Raijinshu captain, he could only predict how bad he was going to feel, if other guys came to talk to her, tonight, or even just look her way. Though he supposed people wouldn't question it, if he started glaring at those other males, since everyone knew Levy and him were _dating_, it wouldn't be very subtle of him to start acting like a jealous boyfriend, while he had never really shown signs of possessiveness, in the past, at least, not before that incident with Laxus's lapdog. Levy would surely notice that something wasn't right with him and figure out his secret.

All worries of potential rivals were forcely pushed away from his mind, when Levy came within two feet from his position and he noticed that she was giving him and Cana a particular look. Her expression hadn't changed, but there was a glimpse of _something_ in her eyes that disturbed him; realizing Cana was still stupidly hanging onto him, he quickly pushed her away with his elbow. The brunette simply staggered on her other leg, chuckling and grinning, as if nothing unusual had just happened.

Trying his best to sound as casual as possible, Gazille greeted the bluenette with a smile he hoped wasn't too suspicious.

"Hey, Shorty."

Levy glanced up to meet his eyes and smiled back, but quickly dropped her gaze on the small handbag she was holding, her cheeks reddening.

"H-Hi... Sorry for being late, I... couldn't find my shoes."

"It's okay," he shrugged, doing his best not to stare but finding it very difficult, now that she was this close. She smelled as wonderful as ever and he also noticed that she didn't put makeup, which pleased him. He definitely found her prettier without.

"You look amazing, Levy-san," Wendy said to the blushing bluenette, who thanked her before glancing at Gazille again, from the corner of the eye. Once more, she didn't hold his gaze very long and the iron mage was, then, hit by a crazy impression. What if his Munchkin had dressed up like this, with a _specific_ purpose?

It lasted only for a fraction of a second, before he mentally shook his head and called himself an idiot. It couldn't possibly be right; the fact that she seemed shy around him and blushed, every time their eyes met, couldn't possibly mean she was attracted to him, even if it was a bit out of character, for her, to act this way around him. It was probably his love-sick mind that was playing tricks on him and making him see signs that weren't really there.

"Okay!" Cana loudly interrupted his inner monologue with a raised fist and an overly cheerful grin on her face. "How about we get going, before _some of us_ decide to skip the party and go have their own, upstairs?"

Gazille almost choked on his saliva, at those words, while Levy's entire body turned beet red. Wendy and Charle both grimaced at the card mage, who seemed extremely proud of her joke and was laughing at the two lovers; they quickly shoved her out of the dormitory, to prevent the fight that was sure to come.

"Really, Cana-san, you can be impossible, sometimes," the iron mage heard the girl say to the drunk, while they disappeared behind the doors. Charle probably added something about the bottle of wine their friend was drinking, because he heard the brunette mock-whine.

"Aw, no, Mom, don't confiscate it. I'll be a good girl, promise!"

Soon, the lobby became silent again and the two remaining mages stood there without knowing what to say next, while the air was growing heavy with awkwardness. Gazille eventually managed to get his vocal cords to cooperate with his brain and offered his elbow to the bluenette.

"Ready?"

He didn't purposely try to lock gaze with her, figuring it would ease the situation. She nodded, her eyes still glued to the carpet, before taking his elbow and following him outside. She didn't say a word, on their way to the guild, and the iron mage couldn't shake off the sour feeling that had started twisting his chest.

* * *

><p>Levy wasn't a medical expert, but she was pretty sure to have all the symptoms of someone about to be struck by an <em>heart attack. <em>

Her chest hurt, she was feeling light-headed, her legs were like jelly and there was a frigging storm in her guts. Any moment now, she could black out... or die. Or _both! _

Which wouldn't be so bad, now that she thought about it. It would be the perfect escape plan for the madness resuming her last twenty-four hours...

Okay, maybe _dying_ would be a bit extreme, but fainting offered her some interesting advantages, the main one being not-having-to-be-in-presence-of-her-crush-who-was-making-her-melt-like-butter-on-a-hot-sidewalk-without-even-trying! He was currently sitting at her side, at a table not too far from the bar, and, even though there was a reasonable distance between them, she could feel the heat of his body through his clothes and smell his alluring scent, which she suspected to be nothing more extravagant than his natural scent mixed with soap. His mere presence was enough to drive her crazy: with subtle glances from the corner of the eye, she was getting lost in the handsomeness of his facial features, and more precisely his lips that were tempting her to forget about reason and claim them until she dropped from oxygen deprivation.

Useless to say that, for someone attempting to **not** surrender to their desires, these conditions were far from being ideal. It would be a miracle, if she made it through the night without incident.

She had no idea, if Gazille had noticed how freaking nervous she was, by now, but, if he did, he hadn't said a word about it. In fact, he had almost not said a word to her, since they had left the dormitory, and she hadn't said much neither, because she simply didn't trust what her brain could make her babble, if she tried to have a conversation with him. But her silence was making her feel cheap: at this rate, Gazille would surely start thinking she was weird and/or she hated him and/or she was hidding something from him... which was technically true, but she couldn't possibly let him figure _that_ out, at least not without having first purchased a train ticket for a foreign country.

"Hey, are you okay?" Gazille's low voice suddenly brought her back to reality. From his seat, he had tilted his head toward her and raised an eyebrow. Levy gulped, forcing herself to smile normally; her heart was like a wild beast trying to break free and the blood thumping in her ears was hindering her concentration.

"Y-yes, I'm... I'm fine," she managed to answer, though she knew that she had miserably failed at making him believe it; just one look at the doubtful frown that now crossed his face was enough to say so. But he didn't insist, raising to his feet, instead.

"I'm going to the bar," he told her, "you want something?"

"Uh, me?" she asked, immediately regretting asking such a dumb question; she tried to correct herself, but she ended up babbling. "I, uh, w-why not-I mean, yes! Yes, please... A-anything will do..."

Gazille nodded and walked away without another word, leaving Levy with the sudden urge to beat herself with her handbag. Why did she have to be so _lame_ around him? Wasn't there any way for her to not look like a fool in front of the only guy she wanted to impress? Couldn't the universe have pity of her and give her a damn break, already?!

Various loud cheers and applause coming from the crowded guild distracted the bluenette from her thoughts. It didn't take long before she understood the reason for all this excitement, as people quickly started chanting Elfman's name; the man in question suddenly made his appearance in the middle of the hall, looking all around him in surprise. Lisanna was pulling him toward a big, red, velvet-covered chair, while everyone sang the _Happy Birthday_ song. When they applauded and cheered again, the white-haired man found his eldest sister in the crowd and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Nee-san, you had promised to not do anything, this year!" To which Mirajane smiled and made a sheepish shrug that didn't look remotely as innocent as it should have, but she was lost into her brother's strong hug and muffled cries of gratitude, the very second after.

The script mage smiled at the scene, that made her recall the birthday gift she had bought him and that she had had the presence of mind to give to Mirajane, a few days ago, _just in case_. It had been a smart move; with everything that had happened, since yesterday, she would have definitely forgotten it at home.

She raised to her feet, as Master Makarov started a short speech praising the manliest man of their guild. Eflman seemed flustered to hear such nice things said about him, but very pleased, nonetheless, embracing both of his sisters and holding back his tears. At the end, the master made a toast to officially start the party, raising a glass of punch high over his head; everyone mimicked his gesture with cheers and laughter, except Levy, who didn't have anything to drink in hand.

At the sight of her guild mates drinking, she bit her lower lip in envy. She had been avoiding alcohol for a while, the latest exception being when she had gone to _Ray's Palace_ with Gazille, but the idea seemed quite appealing, at the moment; not too much to get wasted, of course, but a few sips to help her calm down and get the break she so desesperately wanted would be nice.

"Oh, it's Levy-chan!" a familiar voice reached Levy's ears, a second later. She turned the head to the right to see who had called her name and saw Jet and Droy come out of the crowd, both of them dressed in clean shirts and pants. They immediately stopped in their tracks, when their eyes fell on her; Droy, who had a plate of chicken wings in his right hand, dropped the one he had been holding in his left, while Jet's eyes grew wide as saucer plates and his eyebrows disappeared in his hairline.

"Wow, Levy-chan..." both guys said at once, before falling silent for a few seconds.

"Hi, guys," the bluenette smiled, waving a hand. Jet gulped slowly before speaking up again.

"Is it safe for us to tell you that you look _really_ good?"

Levy, surprised by the question, let out a little laugh.

"Of course; why do you say that?"

The males exchanged a look.

"We've heard your _boyfriend_ doesn't like seeing other guys talking to you," explained Jet, with a sardonic emphase on the word boyfriend.

"Yeah, he apparently went psycho on Freed, the other day," added Droy, "tried to kill him or something." It was Levy's turn to grow wide-eyed.

"What?! N-No, he never did that," she quickly denied, even though she was blushing, because she had heard the very same story from the girls at the dormitory, the day before. "I was there and I can assure you Gazille never threatened Freed. He didn't even talk to him."

The boys replied with a hum, but they didn't look half-convinced by her words. Levy couldn't understand how that rumor had started: she clearly remembered that day and the meeting between Gazille, Freed and her and, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't recall anything that could have indicated a jealous behavior, coming from the iron Dragon Slayer. Yet, it was not only the girls but also her teammates who believed he had been jealous of Freed and it confused her. It was silly, really, thinking that Gazille could be envious of the rune mage, since said mage's _preferences_ were almost as obvious as Max's ones for brooms, but... what if it had been true? What if he had really been jealous of Freed? Could it had been an act, even though he had never played his part that way, before?

It was probably not true. It was probably Mirajane's entusiasm that contaminated everybody, like it too often did. And the fact that her heart was skipping a beat, at the idea that Gazille could have been jealous of another man, was just her emotions torturing her.

* * *

><p>"Man, you look like you've just been sentenced to death."<p>

Gazille, who had just ordered drinks to the purple-haired girl at the bar, merely blinked at Pantherlily's statement. He was hunched over the counter, propped on his forearms; the exceed was standing on the bar itself, next to a glass of kiwi mojito.

"You managed to convince her to come with you, it mustn't be that bad, right?" Lily insisted, to which the man sighed.

"Yeah... except that she looks like she wants to leave the country."

The cat raised a confused eyebrow.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing," replied Gazille. "Absolutely nothing..." Beside making sure to not look too often down the neckline (or should he call it the _breastline_) of her dress; damn, it was only one of the reasons he regretted to not have listened to that bastard's voice in his head telling him to not go see her, this morning. Even though the lights were dim in the guild hall, if he wasn't careful about how he sat next to her, he could end up accidently _confessing_.

"She ain't said a word, since I came to pick her up," he added, pushing away his previous thoughts from his mind, "and it's like she's expecting me to bite her or something."

The exceed frowned slightly, while taking a sip of his drink with a straw.

"Did you question her about it?" The man shrugged.

"She told me she was fine, but it sounded like a lie."

Lily crossed his paws over his chest and let out a pensive hum.

"You should break the ice, then," he suggested, after a short pause, "try to start a conversation with her." The iron mage let out a sigh.

"...I dunno what the heck I could talk about."

"Really? Well, I do have a _very good_ idea of what you two could talk about..." the exceed muttered under his breath, a corner of his lips pulling upward. Gazille frowned; he didn't know if his cat had meant to say it loud enough to be heard by him, but the fact was that he _did_ hear it and he didn't like it. He did nothing to hide his annoyance and Lily raised both paws.

"Hey, relax, I was kidding," he said to defend himself, though he didn't look a bit sorry, his eyes gleaming with mischief, "I'm very well aware of your opinion about _that_ matter... even if I find it quite stupid."

Gazille scowled.

"It ain't stupid. It's common sense."

Lily answered him with a knowing smile that the man would have gladly wiped off his face, if he was anyone else. Or if a part of him wasn't fucking agreeing with him. Kinana arrived with Gazille's order, at that moment, giving the two friends a moment for their own thoughts. The iron mage wasn't feeling any better: the prospect of going back at the side of a woman who seemed to want to avoid him like the plague wasn't appealing. He supposed trying to have a normal conversation with her wouldn't hurt, but, beside the weather, he had no idea what they could possibly talk about. He had the sick impression any subject could lead the script mage to discover the truth and reject him.

In the background, he could hear Master Makarov making a speech for Eflman, but he didn't give it much attention. He also barely noticed his cat coming closer, until...

"Wouldn't it make more sense, if you just broke up with her, then?"

Gazille turned his head in Lily's direction so fast that something cracked in his neck. With wide eyes, he was fixing his friend as if he had just grown a second head.

"What?" he spat, so shocked by what he had heard that he needed a few seconds to continue. "Aren't you the one who keeps telling me to make a move?"

Lily looked back at him, all traces of humor gone. His voice was a whisper meant for his ears only.

"Yes, but you keep telling me that you're _not _going to make that move. Despite this, you haven't done much to step back from this relationship, neither; instead, you're stubbornly getting closer and closer to her, to the point you're turning into a possessive creep. You can't say you don't want her, but do everything to keep her, at the same time. You either go all the way, or you step out: you've got to make up you mind... hopefully before you end up hurting her."

The Dragon Slayer shifted his gaze on the bottle of beer and the glass of punch in front of him. He couldn't find anything witty to retort to that, because he knew Lily was making sense. Hell, even _he_ already asked himself why he hadn't just stopped this, but the answer had always been the same: because, deep down, he didn't want to. He was also scared, so damn scared that she could refuse him, but, maybe, he was even more scared that she _could_ possibly want him.

The real deal. The L-word... and everything that it implied. He had no idea what it really was. He had no idea, if he was cut for it. Getting attached to someone or something was a relatively new concept to him and he wasn't even sure he had what it took for that. Sure, he was dreaming of her and he would be lying, if he said he didn't always find her kinda cute, but it wasn't just about sex. It was about everything else that made her so awesome. It was that everything else that drew him to her, but still made him hesitate. However, Lily was right: he would have to make up his mind, eventually. He should have made up his mind, a long time ago, actually.

He pushed a long groan, rubbing his eyes with both hands.

"Man, this shit is crazy..."

Lily had a little smile at that.

"Not really, you're the one who's making it complicated."

The mage snorted.

"Because it's not?" Lily shrugged.

"I don't remember you making this much of a fuss, when you decided to_ make_ me your cat."

Gazille glanced at him, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Not quite the same thing, doncha think?"

"Not that different neither," insisted Lily, "you got what you wanted, because you did everything possible to get it and proved yourself worthy to keep it. Just do the same with Levy. Without using your fists, of course."

The iron mage allowed his friend's words to sink in before he let out a chuckle, feeling strangely better. He brought his body in an upright position, before looking in direction of Levy; he saw her in a conversation with her teammates and felt a familiar churn in his guts.

"One thing is sure," added Lily, as if he was reading his friend's thoughts out loud, "it's not when she'll be in someone else's arms, that it'll be time to do something."

* * *

><p><strong>End notes: <strong>Hope you liked it. thank you for all your faves and reviews ^.^ The end is coming next, with maybe a few bonus rounds after. Depends how it will go.

Hugs!


	22. Let's stop pretending

**Author's notes:** For the very last time, I do not own Fairy Tail, nor its characters. They belong to Hiro Mashima and I could never be thankful enough for him to have created such an awesome manga.

As a reward to all of you, for your patience and dedication to this story, I hope this big, final chapter will satisfy you. Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong># 22: Let's stop pretending<strong>

_I used to hate you, you know?_

_It's true. I used to curse your existence, your obliviousness at my pain, your lack of compassion for people like me..._

_You can't blame me for it, can you? After what you did to me, after bringing me to such a sorry state... it was only normal for me to resent you. _

_With all my heart, I feared you, rejected you and did everything possible to avoid you... until I realized that I was wrong: I was misjudging you. I used to think nothing good could ever come out of you, but I found out it wasn't true: you can bring me joy and pleasure, too, and it's exactly what you're doing to me, right now. You're making me so happy, so carefree, so blissfully numb..._

_I want to thank you. Thank you, dear alcohol, for freeing me from my mind and my fears. Thank you for making me feel this good. Thank you for everything._

_Sincerely, _

_Your new friend Levy_

The script mage snorted in her glass. It was the kind of silly reflections that were randomly bursting into her mind, ever since she had taken the first sip of her drink, about fifteen minutes ago.

Or had it been an hour ago? She had lost all notion of time, it seemed, but it didn't matter to her, anyway: every sip of the delicious alcoholized fruit punch Gazille had brought her was making her sink deeper into her seat in joyful indifference. The end of the world could happen _live_ in front of her and she probably wouldn't sweat it.

She drowned her tongue in the sweet liquid again. From memory, she had never tasted a drink that made her feel this... _mushy_? Yeah, that sounded weird, but that was exactly how she felt, right now: her body was kinda floppy, her eyelids had grown heavy and her lips were uncontrollably pulled toward her ears in a big, lazy smile. A soft blur covered her vision, like a veil of freedom and excitement, tinting her world in pink and twisting everything she perceived as happy, funny and _fantastic_. Even the presence of Gazille at her side, so very close, thanks to Lucy sitting at her other side, was a wonderful thing. Her stress from before was nothing more than a fragment of a distant dream, in her mind, which, if anyone asked her now, she wasn't even sure to have _really_ experienced, in the first place.

There was now a lot of people around their table: Jet and Droy had left, the moment Gazille had come back at her side, but Lu-chan had arrived, soon after that, with Natsu, Wendy, Cana, Juvia, Gray, Happy, Charle, Lu-chan and... Oh, wait, she had already counted Lu-chan, right? _Heh_. But it was okay: Lu-chan was worth twice as much as the others, except Gazille, of course, who was worth much much much more than that. That man was in a category of his own.

"What's so funny, Levy-san?"

The bluenette blinked, raising her gaze to the person who had spoken to her, in this case Wendy, and smiled. Her recent thoughts must have reflected on her face and piked the young mage's curiosity.

"Everything," she answered with a cute little shrug, not caring if her answer didn't make much sense. "_Everything_ is funny."

Her answer made everyone laugh and hearing them made her giggle as well. She glanced at her upper left to see the iron mage's reaction to her words. Their eyes met, for a second, and she gladly noticed that she was no longer tempted to run away, even though she could still feel funny butterflies in her belly. The alcohol had done its job of mellowing her out perfectly, so far, and she didn't regret her decision one bit. As far as she was concerned, things could stay this way, for the rest of the evening, and it would be perfect.

She was raising her glass to her lips, once more, but only a few drops ended up falling into her mouth; as she gave a confused frown to the empty glass, she heard the man at her side let out an amused _Hmph_.

"Enjoyed your drink, Munchkin?" She turned in Gazille's direction, her head spinning a bit.

"Yes, I did," she replied casually, "...so much that I think I'll go get myself another one," she added, showing the empty glass.

"Oh," the man raised an eyebrow and a corner of his mouth, as well, "shouldn't you pick a bottle of water, instead?"

She mimicked his raised eyebrow.

"Why should I?"

His question had sounded light and playful and she had replied in the same manner, but she suspected he was hinting at something.

"Well, if you keep drinking at the same pace," he gestured at her glass with a gesture of his head, "the party risks to end quite early for you."

The mischievous glint in his eyes told her he was teasing her, just as she had thought. She chuckled, standing up and propping her left hand on her hip.

"Is that so?" she asked, raising her eyebrow once more at the man she was now eye-to-eye with, "Are you possibly worried about little me, Mister Redfox?"

"More worried about those you could possibly molest, if you drink too much," he smirked, having spoken in a voice quiet enough so the others couldn't clearly hear them. Levy felt her cheeks warm up slightly, picturing the very man she was talking to being the one she would probably _molest_, if she was to lose control. She hid her guilty thoughts behind a sweet smile and, prompted by her new alcohol-fueled bravery, leaned forward and gave a little kiss on his cheek, using the opportunity to retort in the depth of his ear.

"Then, you should keep an eye on me, tonight, Gazille... because I'm _just_ getting started."

* * *

><p>Whenever there was a party, at the guild, there was a lot of music, a lot of food and, of course, a lot of alcohol. And when there was alcohol, it was possible to witness a large variety of drunk types, among the party-goers.<p>

Some of those types were well-known, like the sad drunks, sleepy drunks, happy drunks or angry drunks. There were also the crazy drunks, cousins of the daring drunks and the no-limitsdrunks, that were popular, in the guild. There was also the mean drunk_,_ a variant of the angry drunk, the difference being that instead of picking a physical fight with everybody, they were the kind to tell the cruel truth to whoever crossed their paths, no matter if they deserved it or not...

To be honest, when Gazille had first wondered what type of drunk the Munchkin could be, he had expected her to be a mix of a daring and a mean drunk. Daring, because he knew Cana had once made her kiss that glass-eyed girl, and mean, because Levy was an expert with words, but she was way too polite and nice to actually tell people off and alcohol could give her that opportunity. He had imagined her using alcohol as an opening to attack those she had never dared confront; striking those she found annoying or boring with sarcasms, outsmarting conceited assholes and silencing losers with witty comebacks, sending all her victims back crying in their mothers skirts.

However... it didn't take long before he found out that she wasn't a mean drunk.

In fact, the sight of her dancing on top of a table, barefoot, next to _Bunnygirl_, with her arms over her head, while giggling and cheering like a crazy fangirl... rather suggested that she was a hyper drunk_..._ which was like the happy drunk, but_ ten times worse_.

...Did he mention that she was barely half down her second glass of punch? And it wasn't even seven o'clock, yet?

The Dragon Slayer watched the scene in front of him, shaking his head in disbelief. He was having a hard time believing that it was really his Munchkin, usually so cute and well-behaved, that was shaking her hips left and right on that table and ruining her _updo_ by swinging her head in every direction, her bangs falling freely over her face, like a soft blue veil. Her whole face was flushed, obviously by the alcohol and the dancing, while her mouth was stretched in a big, lazy grin and her skin glimmered with a fine layer of sweat.

She looked like a wild sexy beast, unleashed and uncontrollable, that tortured him without even trying. (Un)fortunately, he was way too stressed by her dangerous behavior to fully enjoy the show. She had removed her heels, after almost breaking her neck at her first attempt at climbing on the table, but she was still not very steady on her feet. Her movements were too wide, she kept missing her steps and she wobbled, every time she closed her eyes and/or cranked her neck to look at him, from above her shoulder. Of course, no amounts of scowls or warnings he could give her were making her stop; she was answering them all by giggling and dancing like nothing mattered.

The iron mage let out a sigh. She looked like she was having the best time of her life, but, if she kept going like that, he would have a hard time keeping her safe, especially from herself. He supposed it wouldn't be a bad thing to hide the alcohol from her, for tonight, but it was probably going to be easier said than done, which was why Gazille resigned himself to keep a watchful eye on her, always staying within five feet, in case she really did miss her step, the next time she decided to twirl around like a ballerina.

The bluenette seemed to quickly realize his intentions, because she soon started expanding her dancing area to the nearby tables, by leaping from one to another like one would jump over a puddle, giving the iron mage a few heart attacks, in the process. She was obviously finding this little game of hers very funny: at every risky movement, she was looking back at him, with sparkling eyes, to see if he was still following her. Useless to say that the Dragon Slayer wasn't sharing her enthusiasm.

"Oi, will you stop that?" he scolded her, after seeing her jump, for the fifth time. She barely glanced back at him, before skipping on the wooden surface, giggling.

"Why?"

He frowned.

"Because you're gonna break your neck." But Levy only made a cute laugh in retort, even when she almost tripped on her own feet.

"Okay, seriously, stop it," he insisted, tempted to just grab her by the arm and throw her over his shoulder, but, before he could do it, she suddenly turned around and grinned back at him like Salamander would, when he was about to blow up something.

"I'll stop..." she stated, her eyes sparkling in mischief, "but only if you can _catch me_!"

And then she broke into a run, but in the opposite direction! Gazille gave a start at the unexpected movement and chased after the drunk woman, who was even less stable on her feet, while running. Despite her light weight, the table she was running on slid, at each step she took, and, in her less-than-ideal state, it was enough to make her lose her balance. Her left foot slipped, just as she jumped to the next table, her body plunging toward the ground, at an unforgiving speed. Per chance, the iron mage threw himself forward, in the blink of the eye, with both arms outstretched, and managed to catch the bluenette, just before her pretty head could smash against the floor.

Her weight, the rush of adrenaline coursing through him and the shock of what _almost just happened_ made him lose his balance and collapse on his knees, his mind barely awake enough to notice Levy's wriggling body, in his arms, and her happy cries of joy.

"YAAAYYY!" she was waving her arms over her head, laughing and cheering, "You did it! You saved me!" She then excitedly threw her arms around his neck and gave him a look of adoration. "Aah, my hero."

The man, who was panting as if he had just run a mile, threw her a disbelieving look.

"Are you CRAZY?" he scowled at the reckless fairy, who was smiling at him innocently, "Do you realize you almost split your skull open?!" The bluenette rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Of course not," she said, throwing her head back for a second, before bringing it back up, "I knew you'd catch me," she added, as if stating the obvious.

Gazille opened his mouth a few times to argue, but he was so unwillingly pleased by the compliment that, in the end, he simply let out a loud sigh.

"Just _never _do that to me again, got it?" he said, while raising himself to his feet, still holding her bridal style. Levy made exaggerated nods, that probably meant she agreed, and then leaned her head against his shoulder, pushing a long contented sigh, her chest raising and falling rapidly to her heavy breathing.

The iron mage eyed the woman in his arms, who had closed her eyes and was smiling to herself; she seemed to have calmed down, for now, but he was honestly afraid that she could go for a second round, at any moment. That was why he decided to bring her to a more secluded corner of the hall, where she could cool down and hopefully avoid the temptation of doing something crazy again. He did his best to navigate away from the heat of the partying crowd, which proved slightly more difficult than expected, but he did manage to find a little bench, near the stairs leading to the upper level. He gently helped her sit down, watching her slump against the back of the bench in apparent exhaustion, as she started fanning herself with one sloppy hand.

"I'm hot..." she said in a low voice, her eyelids now heavy. Gazille raised a hand to tell her to wait.

"You stay here. I'll bring you something, okay?" When she nodded, he left for the bar to get the bottle of water she should have had, earlier. He had to fight his way there and avoid the guild's most notorious no-limit drunk dancing with his favorite broom, but he soon reached his destination and asked Mirajane for the water, that he wasted no time bringing back to the script mage. However, when he made it back at her side, he found her emptying a glass of a red liquid he quickly recognized, by the smell, as wine!

"Where the hell did you get that?" he asked her, wide-eyed, but she looked up at him, from above the glass, and shrugged, looking genuinely clueless. Cursing, the man gave a good look around and soon spotted the one who was most likely guilty of this crime, a certain card mage dancing nearby, with a bottle of wine in hand. He wasn't in the mood to go pick a fight with her, so he just let out a loud sigh and sat down at the Munchkin's side. He was already tired and he hadn't had more than one beer, himself, which, in his case, was equivalent to none; he didn't dare get himself a new one, in case his partner decided to go for another round of crazy table-hopping.

A few minutes passed, while the man sat there, hunched over, with his arms propped on his knees; all he could hear was the loud music and the hubbub of the crowd. Levy was sitting quietly and hadn't tried anything new.

"Man, if I had known..." he whispered to himself, thinking that having once wished to see what his Munchkin was like, when drunk, had been the worst idea he had ever had. Even if she would have ended up being a mean drunk, he had the feeling things wouldn't have been smoother for him. He soon glanced at the female in question, who was slumped on the bench, completely still, with the exception of her head that was softly bobbing up and down. From under her bangs, her eyes were closed and her lower lip was hanging loosely; no sounds seemed to come from her, but Gazille was pretty sure that she was about to fall asleep, if she wasn't, already.

He couldn't help chuckling at the sight: the party was also over, for her.

"Damn... For such a cute thing, you're an awful lot of troubles, you know?" he asked her, allowing himself a smile, while he stared at her relaxed face, her rosy cheeks and her chest rising and falling with each breath she took. He watched her, for a moment, arguing with himself about either waking her up to bring her back to Fairy Hills, or letting her rest here a little bit more. He eventually opted for the second option and slipped one hand around her waist to try to make her lay down on the bench, for comfort and also to make sure she didn't accidentally fall, but, at the touch, she stirred and cracked her eyes open a millimeter, her head turning in his direction.

"Come, Levy. Let's lie you down," he told her, putting both arms around her to help her switch position. She answered him with a tired "_Gnh"_, that he took as an acknowledgement, and put both arms around his neck, however, instead of laying herself down on the bench, she startled him, by unexpectedly pulling herself on his lap.

"N-no, Levy, on the bench," Gazille stuttered in surprise, making some poor efforts to remove her from over him, but she whined a cute _"Nooo..."_ and leaned her head on his chest, making him freeze on the spot. He had another mental debate over what would be the right thing to do, in this case, but when she snuggled against him, with a smile and a soft, contented hum, he gave up and decided to not disturb her. He pulled a nearby chair with his foot, propped both feet on it and inclined his body in the most horizontal position he could manage. For a few seconds, he watched her to see if she was comfortable and, then, decided to cover her with his coat, when he noticed she had goosebumps; then, he spent the next two hours like that, with the woman of his dreams in his arms, telling himself that, finally, a drunk Munchkin wasn't such a bad thing.

* * *

><p>Despite not having wished for it, Elfman had to admit that his birthday party was fun, so far.<p>

He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, since, no matter how many times he told his big sister that he didn't want a party, she would always throw him one, anyway. He had thought she had finally listened to his pleas, this year, because his real birthday was one week ago and Lisanna and her had already given him a cake and their presents, that day. But, as he quickly found out, he had only been misled, for this surprise party.

Of course, he didn't resent Mirajane, for doing all this for him. Deep down, he knew his sister was doting him and Lisanna, this way, to compensate for all those years of misery the three of them had to endure, when they lost their parents. As the eldest, she had taken the role of tutor and kept them safe and happy, even when herself was first afflicted by her demon take-over magic and they had to move from town to town.

That period of his life had taught him that being with your loved ones was what really mattered... much more than birthday parties, or corny-looking velvet chair, or praising speeches, or a ton of gifts from his friends. He would have been happy not receiving any, tonight, but he still accepted them all gratefully, even those that caught him by surprise, like that book he got from Levy; not that he didn't like books, but no one would ever give him any, probably thinking that a big guy like him disliked reading. Yet, he sometimes did and he promised himself that he would open this one. With a name like _The Alphabet of Manliness_, it had to be good.

After a few dozens hands shaken and a very good amount of presents opened, a woman well-known to Elfman presented herself in front of him. Long wavy brown hair, dark brown eyes and an hourglass shape in a short white dress, she was standing with both hands on her hips, an eyebrow cocked in her usual superior way, over a pair of glasses, and her glossy lips pulled into a ghost of a smile.

"Ever," Elfman smiled at his ex S-class partner, who, for once, didn't complain about the nickname. She walked closer to him, the sound of her high heels merging with the background music. He didn't fail to notice how her hips swayed, at each step.

"You got nice gifts, so far," she stated, though she might have asked, because she seemingly waited for him to nod before pursuing, "you'll see: mine is much better. Here."

The brunette extended her right arm to show him a little square paper package she had been holding in her hand. Elfman's first thought was that it was a wrapped candy, but, when he took the item and read the logo printed on it, he realized that it was, more precisely, a _breath mint_.

"Oh," he first said, with eyebrows raising in surprise, wondering if she was trying to give him a hint, before smiling politely. "Thank you, Evergreen. Breath mints are... useful."

She raised a vexed eyebrow.

"You don't eat it?"

"Uhm, sure," Elfman immediately replied, tearing the wrapping and throwing the mint in his mouth. Evergreen seemed to be satisfied seeing him eat it and the man expressed his gratitude. "Thank you for the gift, Ever. It was really nice of you."

Though he had never expected to receive something this..._ original_, he wasn't going to be rude and complain about the gift. It was the thought that counted, after all. However, he quickly found out that it wasn't the answer she had been expecting.

"You idiot!" she barked, rolling her eyes, "_That_ wasn't your birthday present!"

"Huh?" Elfman grew wide-eyed at the scolding, genuinely confused. Evergreen was shooting daggers at him, from behind her glasses, but her expression quickly changed from anger to... embarrassment? He didn't have time to ask her what she meant, by that, nor to question her about her seemingly reddening cheeks, because the woman closed up on him, slammed both hands on his cheeks and pulled his face to meet hers in one swift movement, their locked lips provoking a concerto of deafening screams, in the guild hall.

* * *

><p>A sudden outburst of shrieks startled Levy awake, almost making her fall from the bed she was laying on. Confused and dazed by the sudden movement, she propped herself on both hands and gave a good look around to understand her situation.<p>

Through her foggy mind, she first noticed that she was at the guild and it was still nighttime. She also understood that the screams were coming from her guild mates, who were seemingly cheering about a new couple. And, at last, when the surface she was on _moved_ and she faced back in front of her... she realized that she wasn't currently laying on a bed, but on _someone_. Someone with red eyes, piercings all over his face and long black hair, who she easily recognized as the man she was having a hard crush on, which didn't fail to make her heart jump in fear and excitement, at not only his presence, but also their current position.

"Hi," eventually greeted Gazille Redfox, with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a smile. At that point, she also realized that he had covered her with his coat, like a blanket, and his arms had been around her waist, until now.

"...Uh, hi..." the bluenette slowly answered, feeling her cheeks burst into flames, when one look down confirmed her suspicion of having slept on the iron mage, the evidences being his wrinkled shirt with a big wet spot on the chest, where she had apparently _drooled_. Mortified, she swiftly removed herself from him, nervously starting to smooth down her dress and trying (without much success) to fix her hair that had become a real mess, all this to have a good reason to avoid eye contact with him; in the meantime, Gazille had stood up, picked up the coat that had fallen from her shoulders, when she had gotten to her feet, and was now stretching his back.

While she was pretending to be busy fixing her appearance, Levy's mind had switched from a state of embarrassment to one of panic. _How, in Mavis's name, did she end up sleeping on him?!_

She tried to rack her brain to remember the events from earlier, but it was all a blur. All she could recall was liking the drink Gazille had brought her... Then, she had started dancing with Lu-chan, right? And Gazille had been there, too; she was pretty sure he had been there, watching her... but, then what? She didn't remember falling asleep and she sure couldn't see how she would have had the guts to use him as a bed! Just watching him standing there, with tousled hair, his shirt hanging out of his pants and his loosened tie was making her shiver, in a terribly familiar manner. There was no way she could have ended up in his arms without...

_Oh no._ Could it be that... she _kissed _him?! Snogged him?! Could she have done MORE than that?! She had been thinking of kissing the life out of him, earlier; maybe that was exactly what happened! That would explain why she had been sprawled over him! And it wouldn't be unlikely, since she had done something awfully similar to Lucky, that other time!

_Holy Mavis!_ It was terrible! She was screwed! How was she supposed to face him, now?

Stupid alcohol! She was taking back all the nice words she had thought, earlier: she hated it, now!

"Are you alright?"

Giving a start at the sound of his voice, Levy looked up at her crush, like a child caught red-handed. The iron mage raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer, but the words were stuck in her throat. If what she dreaded had really happened, nothing she could possibly say would save her; he would, now, either know the truth about her feelings and think she was a pathetic fool, or have lost all respect he could have had for her, for having acted in such a shameful way. She couldn't see any traces of disgust or disdain in his eyes, but she was convinced that his view of her had changed for the worst.

"I-I'm just... uh..." she let out a sad chuckle, at her pitiful attempt at providing a normal answer, her heart beating fast and her belly fluttering. She realized she was unable to give him a straight lie as a reply, so she changed the subject and hoped he wouldn't find it suspicious. "H-How long did I sleep?"

Gazille turned around and glanced at the big clock hanging over the request board.

"About two hours..." he answered, looking back at her with a strange expression. The young woman avoided his gaze, by hiding her eyes behind her right hand.

"_Ugh_... it's so embarrassing," she winced to herself, though she knew he had probably heard her. She let out a sigh, dropped her hand back at her side and shook her head. "I... am so sorry, Gazille. I can't believe I fell asleep..." _On you_, she felt like adding, but she held her tongue. The Dragon Slayer draped his coat on his left forearm and gave her a smile that looked a bit teasing.

"It's okay, I didn't mind, actually," he told her, shrugging, "I wanted to see what you were like, when drunk." His smile grew into a smirk. "I wasn't disappointed."

Levy's heart skipped a beat. What could he possibly mean, by that? That little voice inside her mind, the one who kept playing with her heart strings, suggested she asked him _why_ he hadn't been disappointed, but she quickly shooed it away. She wasn't in the mood for another emotional rollercoaster's ride.

"Well... I hope you enjoyed the show," she replied to the man, "because it was _officially_ the very last time I drank alcohol... and I'm done for tonight." She gestured at the front doors. "I'm going back home."

And hopefully, she would wake up, tomorrow, and realize this was just a dream. Gazille raised an amused eyebrow and watched her for a second, before shrugging.

"Fine by me," he answered with a crooked smile, "it's gotten too noisy, anyway." He fell into step behind her as they both started walking toward the exit, going totally unnoticed by the crowd of party-goers, who were all over Elfman and Evergreen, to the latter's displeasure.

The bluenette noticed she was barefoot, when they passed the guild's threshold and walked on the cold cobblestones of the terrace; after a quick detour back in the guild to recover her shoes and handbag, she caught up with Gazille outside, near the outdoor tables. She sat on a wooden chair to put on her heels, which she found terribly uncomfortable, but since she didn't have another pair and she couldn't possibly walk all the way to Fairy Hills barefoot, she kept her complains to herself.

The night was clear, but there was a little breeze blowing that gave Levy goosebumps. She did her best to not shiver, but the iron mage noticed she was cold and covered her with his coat, despite her protests; she thanked him, feeling her cheeks warm up again under his gaze. She pulled the black fabric over her shoulders, secretly taking a few breath by the nose to inhale the man's lovely scent. She couldn't help her lips spreading into a smile and she thanked the darkness of the night for keeping it secret.

"It's a bit of a shame, that you don't wanna drink anymore," Gazille pursued their earlier conversation, as if they had never interrupted it, "because you were having a lot of fun, back then."

The bluenette stood to attention.

"I... I did?" she hesitantly asked, biting her lower lip; she was worried, but also curious about that blurred portion of her evening. She was, of course, afraid of what he could reveal, but not knowing was already driving her crazy, so she braced herself and asked. "What did I do, exactly, back then?"

The man glanced down at her.

"You don't remember?"

Levy shook her head, eyeing him expectedly. Gazille faced back in front of him, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"At your second glass of punch," he started, after a short pause, "you decided to dance with _Bunnygirl_ on a table. Then, you started jumping from table to table and that's when you fell and almost broke your neck," Levy's eyes grew wide, at that particular comment, but Gazille pursued, "but I caught you, before you got hurt. And after that... you sat on the bench and you were asleep, five minutes later."

The iron mage fell silent, after that; the young woman waited for him to add something else, but she quickly realized he was done.

"That... that's it?" she asked, both eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Just _that_?"

"Yep," he nodded and smirked. "You were snoring and you drooled on me, but that's pretty much it."

At his words, Levy's shoulders dropped in relief. After imagining such an awful scenario, earlier, she had been _convinced_ that the version he would tell wouldn't be very different from her twisted expectations, but apparently no; some table dancing and a couple of crazy stunts, but no drunk make-out sessions... She could hardly believe it.

There was still the question of how she had ended up sleeping _on_ him, but she pointedly kept her mouth shut about that subject; now that she was getting over the initial shock (and knowing she had_ not_ exchanged saliva or confessed her love to him), she was happy to have spent a few hours snuggling against the man of her dreams, even if it happened unbeknown to her. It was the kind of occasion that would probably never repeat itself and she would be a fool to ruin it, by asking for details that could lead Gazille to ask her embarrassing questions, in return.

* * *

><p>While, earlier, the trip to the guild had been painfully long and awkward, this one was peaceful and pleasant, but, unfortunately, way too short. Their feet had already led them to the slope leading to the dormitory, though it seemed only five minutes had passed, since their departure from the guild. Seeing the familiar building in front of her, the bluenette felt a pang of regret in her chest: today, she had been so focused on her fears, that she didn't even enjoy her date with Gazille and, on top of that, she had also ruined the evening for him. If only she hadn't been such a troublesome drunk, she could have gotten some good memories with the iron mage.<p>

They were passing under the Fairy Hills sign, when they both slowed down the pace and eventually came to a stop, halfway between the sign and the porch of the dormitory. Levy fiddled with her fingers, struggling to find the words she wanted to tell Gazille. She wanted to apologize for how she had acted, she wanted to thank him for taking care of her, even though she had ruined his fun... There was so much she wanted to say and that could maybe include what she had meant to keep secret... but she didn't have the chance to say anything.

"You know, Levy... I got time to think, earlier..." Gazille started, while rubbing the back of his neck and looking at something invisible on his right. The bluenette waited for him to continue, but felt her body crisp at the tone of his voice. He sounded nervous; could she have been wrong thinking he hadn't figured her out?

"What I mean is..." he paused, as if searching for the right words, before suddenly dropping his hand and meeting her gaze with eyes burning with determination, "It has lasted long enough. _This_," he precised, pointing at both of them. "It's about time we put an end to it... 'cause I'm sick of pretending."

To say Levy hadn't been expecting that would be an understatement. Her breath caught in her lungs, as if she had just been slapped hard across the face, and her eyes widened in shock. A part of her was expecting him to burst out laughing and tell her that he was just kidding... but she _knew_ that wasn't going to happen...

It sounded like the thing she had been dreading would happen far sooner than she had ever wished for: _it was over between them_.

And the worst of it was that she had to pretend to be totally fine with it.

"Oh... uh... o-of course," she stuttered, in a tiny voice, trying to control her hands that had started to shake, "you're right... It's... I mean, it has been a while and Mirajane surely won't bother us anymore..." She blinked and forced a smile on her lips, like she forced her voice to not crack. "Well, I... that was nice..." she gulped; a lump was forming in her throat and she could feel her eyes starting to sting with upcoming tears. If she didn't find a way to escape, now, he would see her cry, so she hurriedly added. "I'll... I'll take care of things, from there. I'll tell the others that we fought and that'll be it. So... uhm, goodbye!"

Unable to take it anymore, she turned on her heels and made a beeline for the dormitory, but Gazille caught up with her, in a fraction of a second, and stood in her way.

"Levy, wait!" He was staring down at her in confusion, as if she had just said something _unfair_. "Why do you say _that_? Why you wanna tell the others we fought?"

The young woman mirrored his expression, feeling her lower lip trembling, despite her best efforts to keep her composure.

"W-What else are we supposed to say? You just said it: it's over."

Gazille gave a start at her words and took a step in her direction.

"No, Levy, it's not-"

"-No, _it's okay,_ it's fine," she quickly cut him, taking a step back and raising both hands in front of her to keep him away. She wouldn't be able to bear listening to his apologies, no matter how sincere they could be. "I mean... I knew it would happen..." she felt tears starting to roll on her flaming cheeks and grimaced a poor excuse of a smile, "it had to end, eventually, and-yeah, okay, I didn't want it to stop-but it's fine, _really_!"

Well, that was it! Truth was out, she was bawling her eyes out like a baby and there was no way she could save face, now that Gazille had clearly heard her. Holding back a sob, Levy turned around once more toward the dormitory's doors, with the clear intention to not come out before next year, if not ever. She had, however, not even taken more than one step, when she was grabbed by the arm and pulled back, the sudden movement making her spin on her right feet until she faced the man again, who swiftly captured her in his arms.

And if that itself wasn't a good enough clue about what Gazille had really been trying to tell her, earlier... having her face cupped in his hands, her head tipped back and her lips taken by his, in an unbridled manner, the very second after, made everything crystal clear.

As quick as the initial contact of his mouth against hers had frozen her on the spot, she soon started melting into the kiss, as if all bones and muscles of her legs were turning into jelly. With an appreciative moan, she grabbed his shirt and pulled herself back up, even raising herself on tip-toe to get a better access to his mouth. She savored the electric contact of their lips together, like a junkie, never having enough of this sensation that she had found herself craving for, in the few days since the last time they had kissed and, judging by the way he was greedily taking her mouth, she dared suppose it had been the same for him.

His left hand moved behind her head, while his right one traveled down to rest on her waist, bringing her closer. Without missing a beat, she moved her own hands around his neck and started racking her fingers in the soft hair of his nape, extracting a barely-repressed groan from the iron mage, who deepened the kiss in response. His tongue brushed against hers, in a gentle dominance, sending shivers down her spine and making the butterflies in her belly literally explode; if she hadn't been holding herself up firmly, she would be a tangled heap on the ground, right now.

Their fiery exchange lasted for a moment and they only put an end to it, when breathing became more important. Panting heavily, they looked at each other with lust-filled eyes, their foreheads touching and a corner of their respective mouths raising in appreciation. Soon, though, the bluenette lowered her gaze, as another rush of blood took over her cheeks, hot enough to dry the tears that had been rolling there, a minute ago. It was embarrassing to think that, a few minutes ago, she had been convinced that Gazille didn't like her, especially after being proved wrong with such an intense make-up session.

The iron mage used a finger under her chin to force her to meet his gaze.

"What's wrong, Munchkin?" he asked her, even though his teasing smirk hinted that he already knew what was wrong with her. Levy had a little quiet laugh, knowing that he was, once more, looking to enjoy himself at her expense. She took great pleasure wiping the smug smile off his face, by taking his mouth the same way he had just taken hers, throwing her hands behind his head, in a swift movement, to bring him down at her level.

It was then his turn to freeze in surprise at her boldness, but he did nothing to pull away from her, quite the contrary: he growled into the kiss and let his hands explore her waist and hips, even allowing the tip of his fingers to caress her buttock. He was watching her reaction, from under half-closed eyelids, letting her lead their passionate exchange to see where it would take them. An air of excitement and eagerness was floating around them and she was feeling herself getting lost in it. His touches and kisses were tempting her to let things follow their natural course... and a part of her wasn't against the idea... but the other one, the reasonable one, quickly convinced her to display some self-restraint. She was sure Gazille's intentions were honorable, but going _that_ far was not something she was ready to do and, if they didn't stop soon, they would both reach their limits. That was why she pulled back, soon after, refusing to listen to the protesting voice in her head begging her to continue. She noticed a hint of disappointment in Gazille's eyes, when she broke contact, but it was quickly replaced by a satisfied look that mirrored hers.

They spent the next moment in each other's arms, recovering their breath, in comfortable silence; neither of them felt the need to say THE words, unlike those romantic stories, where lovers would shout their feelings on rooftops, over and over again, for the whole world to hear. Perhaps it was thanks to their particular situation, where they've been acting like they were already in love, for a while, now, that the famous three words didn't seem necessary for Levy, as Gazille had made it _obvious_ what he felt for her and she supposed she had also made herself clear. Of course, she intended to say them, eventually, and probably sooner than the iron mage would be ready to, but, tonight... right here and now... their body language was doing most of the talking.

After a while, though, Levy glanced at the dormitory doors. After all this, she was completely awake and the last thing she wanted, right now, was to leave Gazille's side. The idea of going back to the party wasn't very appealing, but they couldn't possibly stay outside the dormitory, forever: it was getting a bit cold and her feet were killing her. The iron mage let out a small sigh, having probably noticed where she was looking.

"I guess it's about time I let you go sleep..." he said reluctantly, but without doing a single movement to release her from his embrace. It was obvious that he was, just like her, not very excited by the idea of leaving this soon. The young woman made a small nod.

"Yes, I suppose..." she agreed, before her smile turned shy at the idea that had just bloomed in her mind, "but... you know, if you want, you could... maybe... join me?" Gazille's eyebrows disappeared in his hairline, at that, making the bluenette realize how _wrong_ her words had sounded. "N-Not to sleep, of course!" she quickly precised, feeling her face catch in flames at her blunder, "I-I mean, you could come inside, for a few minutes. For coffee or something..."

The smile spreading on Gazille's face made a shiver cross Levy's spine; she was sure that he was currently dying to tease her about the embarrassing statement that had just escaped her, but he seemed to decide otherwise, because, in the end, he simply nodded.

"Yeah, coffee sounds good."

* * *

><p>The chirping birds outside woke him up first, way before sunrise, but it was the scent floating around that made him crack an eye open. It wasn't the scent of his own home, nor his bed; it was a scent he knew and loved... <em>her<em> scent, the sweet flagrance of her hair mixed with the smell of ink and paper, with soap and something summer breeze-ish added to the mix. Its strength revealed, even before his eyes got used to the soft darkness of the room, that not only the soft mattress he was laying on belonged to Levy, but said woman was also very close, which was confirmed, when he noticed his right arm was hugging a small and warm body, laying right next to him.

He snorted at the irony: despite what they had agreed on, when she invited him in, last night, he _did_ end up sleeping with her.

Both of them were still fully clothed, though, so there was no reason to worry about potential fireball in his face. She was currently sound asleep, laying on her right side, face to face with him, with one arm under her head, like a pillow and the other one nested between their bodies. Her breathing was slow and steady and she seemed completely relaxed, her skin glowing softly in the pale gray light. The iron mage silently observed the beautiful woman in his embrace, letting his eyes follow the curve of her naked shoulder, the dip of her waist hidden under his arm, followed by the rise of her hip under her dress and her appealing thigh; that sight was making his fingers itch, tempting him to run his hand all over that soft creamy skin of hers and explore the treasures hidden under her clothes.

But, of course, he wasn't going to do such a thing, here and now: it had taken him so much efforts to get the nerves to _confess_ to her, he didn't want to ruin everything by being too _hasty_... even though her reaction to his ministrations, last night, hinted that she would be ready for second base, sooner than expected...

The memory of her fierceness brought a smug smile on his face. The idea that she might have already been attracted to him had crossed his mind, a few times, in the past days, but he still had had his doubts, especially when, after he had told her that he wanted to stop pretending, she had started talking about breaking up with him. Per chance, he had quickly figured out the problem and made sure to clear up the misunderstanding, in the most effective way he could think of. He had almost lost it, when he had felt her melting into his embrace and kissed him back, like her life depended on it, and he was still amazed by the level of self-control he had had over himself, when she broke the kiss, afterwards.

And then... she had invited him in. The next hours had been similar to the few minutes spent in front of the dormitory's doors, but in a slow, controlled version, intertwined with hushed words and longing gazes, until exhaustion had taken them both. It had been quite a challenge, to come in her room and make out with her on her bed, as there was no other seat in the room they both could have used; fortunately, he had managed to resist temptation, the whole time, overcoming the frustration of being forbidden to touch what he desired the most, by telling himself that it was only a matter of time. He wasn't renown to be a patient guy, but it was okay: Levy was the kind of woman worth getting blue balls over.

The bluenette in question eventually started stirring in her sleep, letting out contented hums, while her lips stretched into a cute smile; after a short moment, she moved her arm from under her head and stretched her legs like a cat, bumping her cute bare feet against his legs. Gazille observed her for a few seconds, wondering if he should try waking her up; even if they were now together, he didn't think he was any more safe from her morning mood swings. But he was growing restless, watching her sleep innocently, like that, while all he wanted was to get up to get breakfast and find a good hiding place, where he could have his Munchkin all to himself, like the hoarding, greedy bastard he was. Heck, he would even settle for a visit to the library, if need be.

Eager to get what he wanted and judging that a first-degree burn was an affordable risk, the iron mage moved his right hand slightly and caressed Levy's back with the tips of his fingers, earning himself a soft hum and a smile that seemed to be aimed at him. Soon after, a pair of sparkling hazel eyes met with his red ones and what he saw in them struck him like a blow in the guts that would have sent him on his knees, had he been standing on his feet.

Unbeknownst to him, then, that look quickly became one of his favorite. Years after having first accepted to pretend to be in love with that small, weak-looking bookworm he would eventually call his wife, he would still be thrilled, whenever she would cast that passionate look of hers upon him, a look full of affection and understanding, with a hint of possessiveness thrown in the mix. That look would resume everything that got him addicted to her, that kept him yearning for her presence and made him come back at her side, every nights.

Making sure she would never stop giving him that look would become one of his reasons for living.

And he would no longer give a fuck, if it made him sound like a sissy, because he would have learned, before long, that _Love_ had never been something to be ashamed of.

**The End.**

* * *

><p><strong>End notes:<strong> Well, that's it. I hope it was up to your expectations.

I wish to thank every single one of you for reading my story, for reviewing and faving, even when it was just to tell me to update faster (or to scold me for using Gazille instead of Gajeel :P ) After spending years on this fanfic, it is time for me to get a break and take on new projects. Knowing myself, I can't promise I won't ever write fanfictions again,(not counting the few bonus short stories I want to add to this current story) but I don't think I'll start another long project like this one, anytime soon. Real Life no longer allows me to write as much or as fast as I used to and I find it unfair for you, readers, to have to wait months (even years!) before getting a new chapter.

I'll keep reading what you guys write and I will be more active on my deviantart account [ pikinanou. deviantart . c o m] _sorry for the spaces, but its the only way to write it without having ffnet blocking it_ :P and also, for GaLe fans, I'm in the Facebook group Gajeel x Levy Forever, where we can chat about the manga and our favorite FT couple. Feel free to drop by and join us.

So, hopefully very soon, a few bonus shorts will be added to this story and some loose plot lines you guys might be curious about will be answered, then. See you.


	23. Bonus :)

**Let's Play Pretend-Bonus**

One sunny afternoon, Levy was walking down the street to Gazille's apartment, with a cheerful smile on her lips, a grocery bag on her shoulder and a white box in hands. Despite her relatively calm look, she was excited like a child at Christmas, the reason being that, today, was officially Gazille's very first birthday and she had planned, with Lily's help, a little party at his apartment.

Now, she hadn't planned to throw him a big one, like Mirajane had done for her brother; not only she knew that Gazille would refuse it, as the idea of being pampered by the others embarrassed him, but Master Makarov had confided to her, not too long ago, that he was already working with Mirajane to prepare a little_ something _for the iron mage. So the bluenette had opted, instead, to organize something private, just for the two of them, with dinner, a little cake she had made herself and a very _special _gift; the black exceed had taken the Dragon Slayer on a job, this morning, and was supposed to bring him back home, just in time for dinner.

Smiling in anticipation, Levy walked a bit faster to get to her destination, Gazille's home being only a few blocks down the street. Her mind full with tonight's preparations, she didn't really notice the guy she passed by, until he called her name. Coming to a sudden halt, the young woman turned around and looked at the stranger standing there: a man in his thirties, with a flat nose and lanky arms.

She honestly didn't recognize him, until he grinned at her: a huge grin that looked more creepy than anything... When he spoke up again, her breath caught in her throat and her suspicions were confirmed: he was older than he used to (a result of her time spent in Fairy Sphere) and his hair was cut very short, but she _knew_ who was the man standing in front of her.

"Hi, Levy-chaan..."

The script mage put all efforts into keeping a neutral face. Her heartbeat sped up and an electric shock tingled behind her knees, as her mind was bringing up every single memories of him she had done her best to forget, in the past years. One thing she remembered well was that he _loved_ getting a reaction from her, may it be a smile he most often than not imagined or a glint of fear crossing her eyes, which was why she pointedly refused to answer his greeting and stayed on her guard, waiting to see how things would go, as she didn't want to turn her back on him and knew better than to expect him to leave by himself.

He didn't seem to mind her silence and kept talking, as if she wasn't currently looking about to puke.

"It's so good to see you," he started with a smile, looking at her from head to toes. "You... you didn't change a bit. You're exactly the same, little Levy-chaan from before..."

Once again, Levy didn't answer. She felt the instinctive urge to take a step back, but she feared he would see it as a sign she was scared of him.

"You remember me, don't you?" he asked, nervously rubbing his arm. He grinned again. "Of course, you do, after all we've been through..."

He had taken a step in her direction, at those last words, but, in a blink of an eye, Levy had raised her left hand in front of her, her fingers joined in an intricate manner to summon a crackling _Solid Script: Lightning_ that made the man take a step back in surprise, with both hands raised in front of him.

"Woah, woah..." he shouted, before a corner of his mouth raised and he let out a derisive snort, "Levy-chaan, what are you doing?"

"You're not allowed to speak to me," the young woman cut him, in a clear, cold voice. "You are not allowed to have contact with me, in any ways, at any time."

"Why do you say that?" the man scoffed, looking offended.

"The court issued an injunction against you: you're forbidden to approach me or even talk to me. _Indefinitely_."

"Ah, _that_," he laughed, as if remembering a funny incident, before waving a dismissing hand, "but it was sooo long ago. And it was so stupid; I still don't understand why they said that."

"Because you were harassing me, day and night, and you even tried to _kidnap_ me," Levy hissed, gradually loosing her cool. She was torn between fear and anger, now, because it was obvious that he was acting just like back then, utterly convinced that there had been absolutely nothing wrong with his actions.

"But it was to save you!" exclaimed the man, with wild hand gestures. "I wanted to take you away from danger and protect you! Because _I love you_."

"I never wanted your protection," retorted the young woman in disgust, "and I don't love you."

"Of course you do," he laughed again, dismissing her words, "deep down, I know you do. You just need time to realize it..."

He took another step forward, but Levy took one back and raised her left hand in a threatening manner. Once again, he stopped, dropping his gaze on the sparkling word hovering above her fingers, before looking her in the eyes, again.

"Come on, Levy-chan... You won't harm me. I know you; you couldn't possibly attack me..." He took one more step forward. "Right now, you're confused, but I know that, if you look inside your heart, you'll realize that you and I are _meant_ to be together. This is why our roads crossed, back then, and why we meet again, today! We are destined to be together, it's obvious! It's a sign from heavens!"

He was inching closer and closer, his eyes wide with greed, as he added with a dramatic expression. "Y_ou belong with me_, Levy-chaan... You always did; if you had been with me, seven years ago, I would have kept you safe from those mages and that dragon." He smiled. "But it's okay, now. I'll take you somewhere, where no one will find you, somewhere safe, and no one will ever hurt you again."

"No, I won't go anywhere with you!" objected the young woman, glaring at her opponent, but her protests were just hot air to him.

"You _need_ me, Levy-chaan," he insisted, still slowly making his way toward her, "you're too fragile to survive in this world, you're too small... but I'm here to protect you."

"Back off!" she warned him through gritted teeth, taking another step back and raising her lightning spell in front of her. "I won't repeat myself!"

She honestly didn't know if she would really do it: attacking people had never been her style, but she was alone against him and Gazille's house was still relatively far; even if she ran as fast as she could, she wasn't sure she could shake him off.

"You won't throw that spell, Levy," the man whispered, a corner of his mouth raised sardonically. "I can see it in your eyes. You say no, but, deep down, _you're asking for this_." His eyes were fixing her with desperate resolve, like a man about to shoot a gun. "You _want_ to be taken! You're _pleading _to be saved!" He threw his arms in the air, looking more demented than ever. "_Can't you just see the obvious?!_ YOU LOVE ME!"

"I SAID BACK OFF!"

Before Levy had even realized what was happening, her left hand had shot out in rage, slashing the air in front of her and throwing the spell straight at her harasser. The man in question barely reacted in time to avoid being hit head-on, dodging to the left, but not quite fast enough. The lightning bolt struck his right arm and, immediately, his body convulsed under the electric shock; letting out a strangled cry of pain, the man's legs gave out and he fell on his knees, before rolling to the side. White as a ghost and his eyes and mouth wide in shock, he was clutching his injured arm, which skin was charred and smoking, a sickening smell of burnt flesh and clothes floating around him.

In her outburst, Levy had dropped the cake box and the grocery bag on the ground, the various aliments now sprawled over the sidewalk, but she never saw them. She was too busy being submerged by anger, her breath heavy, her heart trashing against her ribcage and her hands balled up into fists, fixing the man at her feet with enough hate to make Zeref cower in fear. The stalker met her murderous glare and jerked away from her, as best as he could, pushing himself away with his feet without releasing his injured arm; still stupefied about what just happened, his lips were moving in attempts at making words, but only a series of unintelligible sounds came out through his tear-strangled voice.

"_Naw..._ y_u...ughadt..._"

The bluenette, guessing what he was trying to tell her, spoke in a low, venom-filled voice that didn't fit with her usual angelic face.

"I can't use magic against you?" she asked with a sarcastic eyebrow raised. "You thought that, because you're not a mage, I wouldn't do it?" She took a breath by the nose to keep control over her anger. "Open your ears and get this," she ordered him through gritted teeth, "I HATE you_._ I _never_ hated someone, in my life, as much as I hate you. Your very existence makes me sick and I swear that I'd never EVER feel anything else than hatred and disgust for you, even if you were the very last person alive, in this universe!"

While speaking, Levy advanced on her enemy, her body crisped in rage and her eyes throwing flaming blades; the man was continuously crawling away from her, to escape, but with great difficulties, as he couldn't use both arms.

"All you have ever done is make my life a freaking hell," pursued the enraged woman, with a raising voice, "and it has only been to satisfy your perverted thirst for power! You never did this out of _love_... No, you always did it to dominate me; you loved seeing me cower in fear in front of you, knowing that I couldn't avoid you, thinking that I'd never oppose you... But, get this: I'm not afraid of you, anymore. And I won't ever run away from you, again! From now on, I'll live my life, with my friends, my lover and my dreams and you will NEVER get the chance to make me suffer, again!"

At that point, the fury had taken over her, her limbs were oozing with her magic essence, casting a dark aura around her petite form; plumes of smoke were swirling around her arms and legs, like snakes. Every single millimeter of her skin felt like it was on fire, the magic crawling over her skin, like bugs that she had complete control over. For anyone walking by, she must have been a vision of apocalypse, a blood-thirsty dark mage praying on a poor helpless victim... but, at that point, she no longer gave a damn about what she looked like. The magic council could pop up, right here and now, and she wouldn't stop. Not until she'd be done with him...

"So, here's what's going to happen," the young woman added in slow and detached words, looking down at the _cockroach_ in front of her, "you will now leave my sight and you will _never_ come close to me, again. If I _ever_ see you around... if you _ever_ try to talk to me, again, or if you _ever_ attempt to hurt me or my loved ones..."

The power surging through her veins overflowed, her hair started wiping the air and the black plumes of shadow engulfing her body grew, to the point they lashed out at her opponent, like vicious snakes.

"_I'll make sure you will never see the light, again!_"

To say that she made her point across would be the biggest understatement of the century. The man whimpered like a beaten dog, when the shadows almost touched him, and threw himself on his feet, in a heartbeat, running away so fast, he disappeared behind a corner, the next second.

* * *

><p>Still under the effects of her rage, Levy stood watching the empty street in front of her, for a moment, breathing heavily and slowly willing the painfully stiff muscles of her arms to relax. Eventually, she let out a long and raspy sigh of relief, realizing what she had just done.<p>

She had faced her worst nightmare... and she had _defeated_ it.

A shiver crossed her spine. Oh, Mavis, that had been_ intense_. She was covered with goosebumps... She had been so angry, she hadn't been able to hold back her magic. It was the first time she had felt something like this: it had been so creepy... and awesome_._ All those magic particles oozing from her, empowering her...

The bluenette glanced at her body, which lower half was still covered by the snake-like shadows. She raised a confused eyebrow: now that she thought about it, she had never been able to make a _Solid Script: Shadow_ come out of her, like this, before. Could it be an effect of _Second Origin_? No, that shouldn't be: even if her spell would be stronger, she was sure it wouldn't _act_ this way and, on top of that, she didn't even recall having summoned that word, to begin with.

She wondered about that mystery for a moment, until a familiar laugh came to her ear; in no time, she recognized the sound and let out a chuckle, finally understanding where those shadows were coming from. Letting out an amused sigh, she propped both hands on her hips and threw a knowing look at her surrounding.

"Not that I'm not thankful for your help," she said to the person hidden nearby, "but it wasn't necessary, you know? I was handling it, just fine."

Unsurprisingly, the shadows pulled from the ground and from around her body, moving as an intangible mass until it gathered at her side, shaping itself into a tall man, with long black hair, a black tunic over white pants and unmistakable piercings on his face and forearms. Having recovered his human appearance, Gazille Redfox crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the young woman at his side, his mouth stretched into a smirk.

"Yeah, I know, " he said, "but seeing him piss his pants was fucking worth it."

Levy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's choice of words.

"It's true that he didn't see it coming," she agreed, before her smile faltered slightly and she added for herself, "but neither did I..."

And it was true. Despite how she had handled it, she was perturbed knowing that Gazille had been right about the stalker, all along. She had honestly been convinced he'd have never came back in her life, that this dark chapter of her past had long been over. Who knew for how long he had been out there, watching her? Just imagining it made her feel _dirty_.

"Hey, what's with that face?" Gazille pulled her out of her thoughts, by grabbing her by the waist and pulling her closer, until their foreheads touched. "You gave that fucker a piece of your mind and even beat the shit outta him. Ya should be more happy than that."

"I... I am," Levy blushed under his gaze, "I think I am..." But she broke eye contact and shook her head. "Actually, I don't know. Right now, I'm not sure how I feel..."

"Well," the iron mage smiled, "I can tell you that, from where _I_ was watching... you were_ fucking awesome_..." his smile turned into a smirk, "and _hot_. Damn... you know you can be quite _sexy_, when you're pissed," he added, with a light squeeze of her butt. "I should make it happen, more often."

"Oh, really, Gazille," Levy objected, giving the man a light push on his chest, but her reddening face betrayed how pleased she really was to hear him compliment her this way. Pulling away from his embrace, she smoothed down her skirt and the blouse she was wearing over it, more out of a nervous habit than anything, while the Dragon Slayer gave a look around.

"So, why were you going to my place?" he asked her. "If it wasn't for that dumbass, you'd have gotten there, before I did."

"Oh, uh..." Levy made an embarrassed wince, nervously moving a strand of hair behind her ear, "I... wanted to make you a surprise. I bought stuff to make dinner and-oh no!" she gasped, when her eyes fell on the groceries on the ground. She ran to the fallen box and knelt beside it, carefully putting it back in the right position, before opening the cardboard lid; however, the sight made her groan. Gazille looked at the content of the box, from above her shoulder.

"You even bought a cake?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I made it, actually," Levy precised, grimacing at the half-mashed cake, which icing had spread all over the lid, "and it was looking pretty good, too, before _he_ made me drop it."

She was sad: she had spent almost two hours making that cake and all her efforts had been ruined by that idiot. Her only consolation was that the box didn't open, when it fell, and the dessert hadn't been ruined with dirt.

"It's fine," shrugged the iron mage, going after the salvageable food sprawled on the sidewalk to put them back into the bag, "I'm sure it still tastes good."

The bluenette raised to her feet with the box in hands, her lips pulled into a small pout, as they both started making their way to Gazille's apartment.

"I still would have wanted it to not look like _slop_."

"Who cares, what it looks like?" the man shrugged. "Can't be worst than the bento you made me, last time."

"Hey!" objected Levy, half-outraged though the corners of her lips lifted, "I had worked hard on that, you know? And I remember that you ate it all, without complaining."

Proud of having successfully teased her, Gazille raised an hand to tussle her hair, but she dodged it, pulling her tongue at him. Laughing, they quickly made their way to Gazille's apartment, that was unusually clean and tidy, the iron mage looking surprised by the sight, as he closed the door behind them. The bluenette suspected that the flat hadn't been in this state, when Gazille had left, this morning, but didn't say anything, smiling for herself and making her way to the kitchen, placing the dessert on the breakfast bar and starting to rummage through her boyfriend's pots and pans. Gazille soon joined her, putting the grocery bag on the counter and eyeing the young woman in his kitchen acting like she was at home.

"Since I already know what you're cooking," he started, grabbing the spaghetti from the bag, "want any help with that?" But Levy politely refused, filling a big pot with water.

"No, thanks," she smiled sweetly. "It's still a very special day for you, so _I'm_ taking care of the cooking. You can just take it easy, in the meantime." She placed the pot on the stove and got a small saucepan next to it, for the meat sauce, while, at her side, the iron mage raised a confused eyebrow at her words.

"Uh... what's so special, about today?" Gazille carefully asked, wondering if he could have possibly missed some kind of anniversary, even though they were officially dating for only six weeks. It couldn't possibly be her birthday: she had mentioned it being in June and he was pretty sure she wouldn't insist to cook, for her own birthday, anyway. Per chance, his Munchkin didn't look offended by his apparent ignorance, because she threw him a cute knowing look, from the corner of the eyes.

"Well..." she started, opening the box of pasta and emptying its content in the boiling water, "I checked in your records... and I found out the exact date you became one of us..." Gazille immediately understood.

"Oh, okay, it's about that guild birthday thing..."

"Yes," beamed the bluenette, excited like a kid expecting Santa. "Today is officially _your_ very first birthday, Gazille. Isn't it awesome?"

_Awesome_ wasn't the exact word the iron mage would have used.

"And I suppose that's why you made a cake?" he asked her, a bit worried about what she could have planned for him; he still remembered that particular conversation they had about a birthday party and he wasn't looking forward to it. He had actually wished she had forgotten about it.

"Of course! Birthdays aren't the same without a cake," her smile wavered slightly, "even if mine doesn't really look like a cake, anymore," she waved a hand, "but the concept remains the same. I even brought a candle."

Levy took out the jar of meat sauce from the grocery bag, that had miraculously survived the fall, and attempted to open it; after a few seconds of useless struggle, Gazille took the jar from her hands, easily twisted the lid open and gave it back to her, earning himself a grateful smile that was unfortunately not enough to cheer him up about a potential surprise party...

"Your _concept_ doesn't include people hiding in my house, right?" he muttered, giving a look around, but Levy giggled, pouring the sauce in the pan to heat it up.

"No, Gazille, I knew you wouldn't like having a big birthday party, like Elfman's, so, tonight, it'll be only you and I," she answered, with an affectionate smile. "Even Lily won't be here: he's going to spend the night at the Connells's."

At those words, their eyes met and Levy's cheeks warmed up. The iron mage couldn't help letting his mind wonder about the opportunities being alone with his girlfriend could possibly bring them, tonight. They hadn't gotten further than second base, so far; at first, because she had wished to take it slow, but now mainly because her belly button piercing was still sensitive and a single touch was enough to ruin the mood. Gazille had vowed to be patient and often assured her that he didn't mind waiting for a bit longer, but... this challenge was proving to be more arduous than he had expected. Even by keeping the kisses and caresses for when they were by themselves, or with only Lily around (who took great pleasure teasing them), he found himself craving for more of her, every day. Per chance, the others, at the guild, had greatly lost interest in their romance, now that Elfman and Evergreen were officially a couple, and were no longer pressuring them to act all lovey-dovey.

But... maybe things would start moving, tonight. This look she was giving him was hinting at something she hadn't revealed yet, as if she had other surprises in store, for him...

With a flirty smile, Gazille raised her chin and took her mouth, the contact lasting for a short moment; she sighed into the kiss, to his pleasure, but she still pulled away too soon for his liking.

"Why don't you go take a shower, while it cooks?" she suggested, dropping her gaze on the cooking pasta, her face now an adorable shade of red. Gazille smirked, unable to resist teasing her.

"I'd rather you joined me," he said in her ear; as expected, his words made her blush even more and she pushed him away.

"J-Just go, already," she tried to glare at him, but her embarrassed state ruined the effect, only managing to make him laugh.

* * *

><p>About fifteen minutes later, Gazille came back in the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed in clean T-shirt and pants. A mouth-watering smell was floating around the apartment, matching with the delicious-looking meal laid out on the table; Levy was busy giving the finishing touches to a green salad, when he joined her.<p>

"Ah, just in time," she smiled at him, before gesturing toward the counter, "could you get the wine?"

"Wine?" the iron mage frowned at the bottle resting on the breakfast bar, "I didn't see any in your bag, earlier," he said, walking toward said bottle and picking it up.

"I found it in the fridge. I think it's a gift from Lily."

"Okay, but I don't think I got..." his eyes fell on the counter, right next to the fridge, "glasses." He grabbed the two wine glasses that had apparently been left there, for this occasion, and suspiciously looked back at his girlfriend. "You didn't plan this dinner by yourself, did you?"

"Hmm, I may or may not have received some help..." she winked at him, dividing the salad in two separate bowls, "but Lily's job was mainly to prevent you from finding out."

Gazille was slightly insulted that his partner had successfully kept him in the dark about this dinner, but seeing his Munchkin being so cheerful quickly erased the feeling. He considered telling her that she shouldn't have given herself this much trouble for him, as today wasn't any special, just a day among any other days, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. It wouldn't hurt him to just go along with it, especially since it seemed to keep her from thinking too much about what had happened, earlier.

Dinner lasted for more than an hour, the couple eating, drinking and talking leisurely. The famous _cake_ was eaten straight from the box, as it wouldn't have looked better on a plate, anyway. Eventually, the table was cleared and the lovers moved to the new couch (much more comfortable than the previous one, but not much younger), with their glasses of wine in hands, to pursue their conversation. Snuggled against each other, they exchanged looks and words about many subjects, but it didn't take long before the need for each other took over and they started communicating with kisses.

Their lips danced slowly, at first, taking the time to taste each other. Guided by their increasing craving for proximity, they switched position on the couch, Levy being gently laid down under Gazille, who was careful to not crush her under his weight. The kiss deepened and tongues brushed, while hands started moving on heated skin, travelling along ears and jaws, down necks and shoulders, circling biceps and teasing hips. After a while, fingers timidly adventured themselves under a shirt, while others followed the curves of a soft thigh before climbing back up, spreading goosebumps and shivers on the way. Soft moans of appreciation echoed, when both digits glided on hidden skin, the firsts caressing fit abdominal muscles, while the seconds reached a silk-like waist and belly and, more precisely, a certain _button_ decorated with a shiny barbell that held so much value for both the owner and the one who had placed it there.

Gazille assessed his lover's reaction to his touch, to see if the zone was still sensitive, and he was rewarded with a shy smile and a faint blush. Taking it as a good sign, he pursued his exploration of her soft belly with his fingers, grazing the silver-ish jewel with the side of his thumb; Levy took a silent breath in, but it seemed to be more a result of a ticklish sensation than pain. As if to get back at him, her own fingers trailed over his abs before moving to his sides, crossing his lower back and travelling upwards, her touch so light, it was his turn to shiver. Seeing her lips stretch into a guilty smile, the iron mage growled in mock-scolding, before going for her neck, aiming for that sensitive spot he had discovered, last time, that he knew would make her react in a very interesting way. As expected, the simple contact of his lips on her skin made her gasp and it took no time before she started squirming under his sweet torture.

"Aah... Gazille..." she moaned, bitting her lower lip, her eyes closing while she buried one hand in his slightly damp hair and the other grabbed hold of his T-shirt. He could feel her quickening pulse on his lips; smirking, he sucked and nipped the delicious skin, letting himself being guided by her soft moans and sighs; in the meantime, he slipped his hand deeper inside her blouse, to reach the _treasures_ hidden there, but he quickly realized that her top was too tight to let his hand pass without struggling. So, he pulled out his hand and searched, instead, for the buttons of her top; thanks to his_ diversion_, the bluenette was too busy to notice him undoing them and it wasn't until he spread the blouse open and revealed the cute black bra hidden underneath that she opened her eyes. She glanced down at her exposed front, for half a second, before meeting Gazille's gaze; breathing heavily, she fixed him in silence, her expression impenetrable, and the iron mage feared to have gone too far. To his relief, a corner of her mouth raised, her gaze turned lustful and she got hold of his face to give him a long kiss.

Without breaking contact, she slowly pushed him back up until he ended up sitting on the couch and she climbed on top of him in a straddling position. She released his lips to take off her blouse, her eyes still locked with his, a glimmer of boldness shining in them, but her face flushed in embarrassment speaking volume about her real feelings. With his hands on her hips, Gazille dropped his gaze on her exposed body: the red mark on the side of her neck, her perfect bust dressed in a black frilled bra and her cute belly button with its sexy piercing; his mouth pulled into a satisfied smirk at the sight, which also provoked another reaction in him, in a lower part of his anatomy, that her current position did nothing to ease up.

Under his scrutinizing gaze, Levy felt even more embarrassed; she started tugging at his T-shirt to bring him to an equal level of nudity and the iron mage was more than happy to oblige. In one swift movement, the shirt was gone and it was now her turn to admire the sight: his strong hands and muscled arms, his chest and abdomen so well-defined, one could think he had been sculpted this way, and his hips that were disappearing under the waistband of his pants. Though it wasn't the first time she saw him without a shirt on, Levy couldn't help being mesmerized by her lover's body; she was tempted to run her hands all over him and bury herself in his warm embrace. Her desires were no secrets for the man in question, who cocked a smug eyebrow.

"Like what you see, Munchkin?"

Levy blushed beet red, avoiding his teasing gaze.

"W-What about you?" she retorted under her breath. Her answer made him chuckle, one of his hands slipping around her lower back, while the other gently cupped her chin and forced her to look back at him.

"You have no idea..." he whispered through his smirk, before he pulled her closer and took her lips. Sneaking her arms around his neck, she melted into the kiss with a sigh, happily letting him take the lead. They made out, for a moment, their lips dancing, their tongues brushing, her fingers gently racking his scalp, while his were running along her body, from her thighs to her butt and up her waist. Eventually, they went high enough to touch the fabric of her bra and it tempted the man to push things a little bit further. She hadn't made a single move to stop him, so far, and he was growing excited at the idea that he might get a little of what he had been dreaming of, lately. Things were looking good for that: the moment was perfect, her belly did hurt anymore and she seemed to be in the mood...

When his hands travelled once more upwards, Gazille guided them toward her back, aiming at the fastener holding her bra in place, while keeping, of course, a watchful eye on his lover, for any disapproving signs. Feeling lucky, he went on with his plan and reached his goal, however... he was caught by surprise, when his fingers touched the hooks of her undergarment. There was a small object stuck between the clips of her bra and her skin, something thin, square-shaped and... smooth?

The iron mage frowned, confused about this mysterious item under his fingers. If he had actually looked at the bluenette, then, he would have seen her with her head down in embarrassment and her face a significant shade of red, but also with her lips pulled into a not-so-innocent smile; maybe it would have tipped him off about the real nature of the foreign object, but he found out by himself, when he got hold of it and brought it to view. He figured out what it was, the second he saw it, all while calling himself an idiot for not having figured it out, right then.

After all, there wasn't many things, in this world, that came in a small, square-shaped package, that smelled like latex and was shaped like a _ring_...

He probably didn't stare at the preservative very long, but it felt like an eternity had passed, when he finally turned his head to look back at his Munchkin, his eyes still wide open, but his voice lost. He couldn't believe that Levy, _his_ Levy, cute, smart and oh so good-behaved Munchkin, had _planned_ for this. Yeah, of course, he had been wishing she would want to do it, he had been thinking about it, ever since day one, but... never he would have thought that _she_ would be the one taking the initiative. He had thought that he was the one slowly warming her to the idea, soothing her fears and tempting her to accept his advances.

Heh, he had been fooled. And she looked pretty proud of herself for it.

"Happy birthday," she told him with a cute but shy smile, "Since this is your very first birthday, I figured that... you deserved something very special and I thought that... well, I could hardly find you something more special than _this_," she bit her lower lip in embarrassment, her face growing warmer again, "O-Of course," she added with a little shrug, "if you tell me that you don't want it, I could find you something else..."

A corner of her lips raised at the joke and the iron mage let out a laugh, his own lips pulling into the widest grin he had ever done. In no time, his arms were around her and he jumped on his feet, making her squeal in surprise at the sudden movement; pulling her closer, he kissed her with passion, while making his way to the bedroom, where he spent the next hours enjoying his present.


End file.
